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Bloomberg
Fugitive Lam Wing-kee has been protected by rules dating back to the time of the former British colony’s handover to China that prevent extradition of Hong Kong citizens to the mainland. Now, that protection could be lifted by a proposed amendment to the law, and Lam is not the only one who
is worried.
“The impact would be huge†Lam said in an interview in Hong Kong, shortly before leaving for Taiwan. “It could affect everyone in Hong Kong.â€
The proposal, which would make it easier to transfer fugitives to Taiwan, Macau, mainland China or any other jurisdiction that doesn’t have an extradition agreement with Hong Kong, has spooked rights groups, lawyers and business organisations including the US Chamber of Commerce. Hong Kong-based billionaire Joseph Lau, ex-Chairman of Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd, fears he may be sent back to Macau, where he was sentenced in
absentia to more than five years in prison for bribery and money laundering in 2014.
The rule change would be the latest in a series of China-backed assaults on Hong Kong freedoms that have accelerated since the handover from Britain in 1997, critics say.