Hong Kong government to take drastic step in fast-tracking controversial fugitive bill
- Government says proposal will go straight to full council
- Attempts to start bills committee proceedings have been fraught, with one meeting descending into scuffles
The political storm over Hong Kong’s controversial extradition bill intensified on Monday as the government announced it would be fast-tracked through the legislature, bypassing the usual scrutiny committee.
Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said the government had written to the Legislative Council’s House Committee, asking for a second reading of the amended law to resume at a meeting of the full council on June 12.
The government expects to secure enough votes from its allies in the council to pass the bill, which would allow the transfer of fugitive criminal suspects from Hong Kong to jurisdictions with which it has no extradition deal, including mainland China.
Lee called it a “difficult decision” to skip vetting by the bills committee, which has not been able to start scrutinising the legislation because of a bitter dispute between opposition and pro-establishment lawmakers over who should chair it.
“The bills committee has lost its function to scrutinise the bill and I see no other way out in the current situation,” he said.
The minister noted that lawmakers from the two rival camps had failed to reach a consensus on how to end their deadlock since the government tabled the bill five weeks ago.
