Carrie Lam: Chen Tongjia is willing to surrender to Taiwan, if the SAR government is willing to assist
[Global Network Report] The person who triggered the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Hong Kong suspect who killed his girlfriend in Taiwan, Chen Tongjia, was released from prison in Hong Kong on October 23 last year for money laundering crimes. He once said he was willing to surrender to Taiwan. It hasn't made the trip for nearly 11 months.
According to a report on the website of Radio Hong Kong on September 22, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, quoted Guan Haoming, Secretary-General of the Anglican Education Ministry who had been following up on the matter, as saying that Chen Tongjia was willing to take the responsibility to surrender to Taiwan and would face the political epidemic. Under permission, go to Taiwan to accept sanctions, if the SAR government is willing to assist.
The Radio Hong Kong website reported that the mother of Pan Xiaoying, the deceased in Chen Tongjia's case, asked Chen Tongjia to give the date of her surrender in an interview with the media.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was asked before attending the executive meeting on the 22nd whether he understood Chen Tongjia's current situation and whether he would be required to surrender and give the deceased justice.
Carrie Lam said that Chen Tongjia has been punished for illegal acts in Hong Kong. From a legal point of view, he is already a free person. There is no action to take under Hong Kong's jurisdiction. However, she learned from Guan Haoming, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education of Hong Kong Anglican Church, Chen Tongjia Willing to take responsibility to surrender to Taiwan, but in the past due to political issues, and later due to the epidemic, the discussion was not possible. When personnel exchanges between the two places are allowed, if Chen Tongjia is willing to go to Taiwan to accept sanctions, the SAR government can provide assistance.
Carrie Lam also hoped that the family of the deceased would be relieved. She said that she learned from Guan Haoming that Chen Tongjia felt self-blame, self-blame, and willing to bear legal responsibility, and would go to Taiwan in due course and wait for the authorities to deal with it.
When asked what the SAR government could do about Chen Tongjia’s surrender, Carrie Lam said that she did not see any benefits for the SAR government to come forward, because the SAR government recently communicated with Taiwan on other matters and received little response. Carrie Lam I hope to continue to assist Chen Tongjia to Taiwan through Guan Haoming or other interested people.
According to a report on Sing Tao.com on the 22nd, in a recent interview with the media, the mother of the deceased Pan Xiaoying mentioned Chen Tongjia for the first time, saying that "people are doing, the sky is watching, the sky net is recovering, but not leaking" and asking the other party to fulfill their promise as soon as possible. Taiwan surrendered.
According to the report, Guan Haoming, secretary-general of the Anglican Education Ministry who has been following up on the incident, said that Chen Tongjia never tried to avoid facing the incident. He also revealed that Chen Tongjia still lives in a safe house provided by the police.
Guan Haoming said that Chen Tongjia lived in a safe house provided by the police, saying that this was a request made by Chen Tongjia.
In response to media enquiries on the 21st, Guan Haoming also stated that he would go to Taiwan to meet with a lawyer and arrange surrender after Taiwan and Hong Kong clear customs.
Chen Tongjia was suspected of killing his girlfriend Pan Xiaoying in Taipei in February 2018 and fled back to Hong Kong.
Because the incident occurred in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Taiwan did not have an "extradition agreement". Chen Tongjia could not be convicted of "intentional homicide" in Hong Kong. In the end, the Hong Kong police charged Chen Tongjia with money laundering on the grounds that he had stolen Pan Xiaoying's bank card and property. , Chen Tongjia was finally sentenced to 29 months in prison.
He was released from prison after serving his sentence on October 23, 2019.
After being released from prison, Chen Tongjia apologized publicly and said that he would surrender to Taiwan.
Since Chen Tongjia expressed his willingness to surrender to Taiwan, the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly responded to this.
First, they claimed that "Hong Kong people were tried in Hong Kong" and demanded that the Hong Kong government prosecute Chen's detention. It also advocated that Chen Tongjia's surrender involved a so-called "political operation". It also imposed controls on Chen Tongjia and the pastor Guan Haoming who persuaded him to surrender to Taiwan to enter Taiwan.
After being widely questioned by public opinion, the Taiwan authorities changed their slogans and stated that they did not restrict entry and could apply to come to Taiwan at the counter.
The Taiwan authorities also advocate sending personnel to Hong Kong to escort Chen Tongjia to Taiwan for trial.
This requirement of "bringing people to Hong Kong" obviously does not conform to common sense of the law. It is deliberately engaging in political operations to create difficulties for the Hong Kong SAR government.
It is precisely because the Taiwan authorities created obstacles and set up legal problems that "Chen Tongjia's surrender to Taiwan" has not been realized so far.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council also stated in a regular press conference recently that regarding Chen Tongjia’s surrender, Taiwan’s Criminal Police Bureau has established a single contact point with the Hong Kong Police Force. If Chen Tongjia decides to come to Taiwan to face justice, he can always go through the window. The liaison arrangement shall be handled in accordance with the law.