Lam was elected in 2017 by a committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites and is widely seen as the Communist Party’s favored candidate. Hong Kong voters cannot directly elect their chief executive. Nevertheless, the Communist Party exerts influence on the Hong Kong government. As a result, residents enjoy far greater freedoms than people on the mainland, such as the freedom to protest or publicly criticize the government.
Under its “one country, two systems” framework, Hong Kong was guaranteed the right to retain its own social, legal and political systems for 50 years. Because Hong Kong and Taiwan don’t have an extradition agreement, he has not been sent to Taiwan to face charges there, though he has been jailed in Hong Kong on money laundering charges. Supporters have pointed to the case of Chan Tong-kai, a Hong Kong man who admitted to Hong Kong police that he killed his girlfriend during a trip to Taiwan. Without them, she said Hong Kong risks becoming a “fugitive offenders’ haven.” Lam has said the changes are necessary for Hong Kong to uphold justice and meet its international obligations. The proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.
China has been excluded from those agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record. Hong Kong currently limits extraditions to jurisdictions with which it has existing agreements and to others on an individual basis. And that’s clearly not persuading the people,” Dykes said in an interview. “The government is asking these people with decades of mistrust suddenly to trust the system and to accept assurances that the (Chinese) mainland will offer that they be honored. Hong Kong Bar Association Chair Philip Dykes said a lack of faith in Beijing’s commitment to respecting Hong Kong’s unique status remains a crucial issue. Opponents of the proposed extradition amendments say the changes would significantly compromise Hong Kong’s legal independence, long viewed as one of the crucial differences between the territory and mainland China. And I’m sorry, we’re doing exactly that.” “They don’t want to see Hong Kong as a base of subversion. “We need to gain the trust and confidence of Beijing so they can allow us the freedom of political reform,” Tong said. However, China’s patience with Hong Kong’s demands has its limits, Tong said. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a lawyer and member of Lam’s administration advisory committee, said Sunday’s protest showed a lack of trust in Hong Kong’s administration, partly because Lam was selected by a small number of electors rather than by popular vote. “Even the chief executive could not overrule the court, to say that because (a country) wants this offender, I will surrender,” Lam said. She emphasized that extradition cases would be decided by Hong Kong courts. Lam, who canceled her regular question and answer session on Wednesday, said the government has considered concerns from the private sector and altered the bill to improve human rights safeguards.
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Sunday’s protest was widely seen as reflecting growing apprehension about relations with the Communist Party-ruled mainland, whose leader, Xi Jinping, has said he has zero tolerance for those demanding greater self-rule for Hong Kong.Ĭritics believe the extradition legislation would put Hong Kong residents at risk of being entrapped in China’s judicial system, in which opponents of Communist Party rule have been charged with economic crimes or ill-defined national security offenses, and would not be guaranteed free trials. Rain was forecast overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, possibly reducing the size of crowds. Some businesses announced plans to close Wednesday and there were scattered reports of students planning to boycott classes. Local media reports said thousands of additional officers were being mobilized to keep order. Police closed off streets surrounding the legislature and government headquarters amid online calls for protesters to gather and show their opposition.