Pan-dems Plan Campaign Against Extraditions Move

The leader of the Civic Party Alvin Yeung said on Monday that the pan-democrats will undertake a vigorous campaign to educate the public about the government's plan to allow extraditions to jurisdictions it doesn't have a treaty with, including the mainland.

The Security Bureau says proposed changes to legislation will make it easier to hand over fugitives involved in serious crimes. But the pro-democracy camp argues that when it comes to cases involving the mainland, Beijing's record on human rights and the rule of law means the proposal is fraught with dangers for Hong Kong.

"We will do it either online or offline, we will do it on the streets," Yeung said of the planned campaign. "We will make sure that Hong Kong people would be fully aware of the facts and understand what is really going on."

Speaking after appearing on a radio programme, the lawmaker said this will help the public send a clear signal to the government not to go ahead with its plan.

But the vice-chairman of the DAB, Hong Kong's biggest pro-Beijing party, accused the pan-democrats of trying to scare the public.

Holden Chow, who had appeared on the same programme as Yeung, said the SAR's courts will be responsible for deciding whether a fugitive should be handed over to another jurisdiction.

Chow said people should have confidence in Hong Kong's judicial system.