CE Rejects Pan-dems' Call For Extradition Talks

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has rejected a request from the pro-democracy camp for a meeting over planned changes to extradition laws, saying there would be "no purpose" if the lawmakers are just hoping to force her to withdraw the proposal.

The meeting was among the demands the camp raised after tens of thousands of protesters rallied on Sunday opposing the changes.

Lam also said the legislature's bills committee is the best place to debate the details of the bill.

"If the purpose of the meeting is to go into the safeguards of the proposed legislation, then I think the best platform to do that is in the bills committee, and not a closed-door meeting with the Chief Executive," Lam said before the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.

But she said if lawmakers come up with feasible ideas about the controversial proposal, the government will give them serious consideration.

The Hong Kong leader said Taiwan's request to extradite a murder suspect from the SAR has not "fallen on deaf ears", saying her government will write back to Taipei in a day or two.

She said the dialogue with Taiwanese authorities won't be made public until there are some actual results.