Taiwan officers can accompany murder suspect Chan Tong-kai from Hong Kong to island – as long as he agrees and they don’t use legal power in city, experts say
- Case sparked a row between Hong Kong and Taipei as sides tangled over how Chan, who intended to turn himself in to Taiwan, could be handled
- Taiwan had offered to send police officers to pick up the suspect, a suggestion dismissed by the Hong Kong government as ‘totally unacceptable’
Law enforcement officers from Taiwan can accompany murder suspect Chan Tong-kai back to the island as long as they have his consent and do not exercise their legal power while in Hong Kong, experts say.
But critics fear unofficial tactics for transferring a suspect such as these could spark concerns about agents from mainland China doing the same, given past incidents where booksellers and a Chinese tycoon disappeared only to later emerge in custody across the border.
Despite admitting to the crime in a Hong Kong court, he cannot be tried for murder in the city because the killing took place in Taiwan. He pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges stemming from his use of the victim’s money after he fled home to Hong Kong.
His case sparked the biggest crisis in decades for the Hong Kong government when it tried to push through an unpopular extradition bill, which would have allowed the transfer of suspects to jurisdictions with which the city has no agreement, including Taiwan and mainland China.
