Taiwan Lawyers Urge HK To Drop Extradition Plans

The Taipei Bar Association has urged the SAR government to withdraw its planned new extradition legislation in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the people of Taiwan, as well as Hong Kong.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the association says it is worried that being as Hong Kong is part of China, the SAR won't be able to make independent decisions on case-by-case extradition deals with the mainland.

It says the Taiwan public are concerned about the SAR's plans, and recent cases have shown that the mainland's judicial system fails to protect people's human rights.

In March, Taipei said if the SAR pushes ahead with the legal changes, it may issue a travel alert to Taiwanese citizens warning them they could potentially risk being handed over to mainland authorities if they visit or pass through Hong Kong.

The SAR government says the legal amendments were proposed in light of the murder of a Hong Kong woman in Taiwan last year, being as authorities cannot currently send a Hong Kong man suspected of the killing back to the island to face trial.