Radio Television Hong Kong reported on Wednesday that murder suspect Chan Tong-kai is still willing to come to Taiwan to face trial. The radio station said that it will make an announcement once the date is decided on when Chan will come to Taiwan.
Chan has admitted to killing his girlfriend last year while the two were vacationing in Taiwan. He then fled back to Hong Kong, where authorities imprisoned him for a related crime. Hong Kong later released him on October 23. Chan then turned himself in again, saying he’s willing to stand trial in Taiwan. But the two sides lack an extradition agreement, and Hong Kong has not provided judicial assistance to make it possible.
Hong Kong authorities tried to pass an extradition law to handle the case, but they bundled it with a controversial law that would allow for suspected criminals to be sent to China. That sparked the protests which have racked the city of Hong Kong for more than half a year.
The governments of Taiwan and Hong Kong are at odds over how to proceed with the case. In recent days, Taiwan’s justice ministry and the country’s top China policy body – the Mainland Affairs Council – have both voiced criticism of the Hong Kong government. They say that Hong Kong has failed to take proactive steps to make it possible for Chan to come to Taiwan to stand trial.