Govt Should Drop Extradition Bill: James Tien

The honorary chairman of the Liberal Party, James Tien, has joined a growing number of voices calling on the government to shelve its planned amendments to the city's legislation on extraditions.

But speaking to reporters after taking part in a radio programme on Thursday, Tien said he doesn't believe the administration will cave in to pressure and abandon its plan to enable one-off renditions on a case-by-case basis to any jurisdiction in the world, including the mainland.

He told RTHK's Janice Wong that at the very least, the government should consider delaying the bill until later in the year to allow more time for discussion, rather than pushing for it to be passed before the summer.

"Even if this is to be enacted, there should be no hurry. Why should we do it so quickly, or rush into passing a law by July 1st? Why don't we actually have a more thorough consultation, like to October this year?"

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that she wants the law passed in the next few months because a Hong Kong man suspected of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year could soon be released from custody.

Unable to extradite the man or charge him with murder, the SAR authorities have accused him of theft-related charges involving the dead woman's money and belongings.

Pro-democracy figures, lawyers' associations, human rights groups, business leaders and foreign politicians have all raised concerns about the extradition plans, in particular about crime suspects being surrendered to the mainland.