Taiwan May Issue HK Travel Alert Over Extraditions

Taiwan says it could issue a travel alert for Hong Kong if the SAR goes ahead with planned legal changes that would enable the territory to extradite people to the mainland for the first time.

After a meeting at the Legislative Yuan, Deputy minister Chiu Chui-cheng, from the island's Mainland Affairs Council, was repeatedly asked by reporters what Taipei will do to protect Taiwan residents visiting Hong Kong if the laws are changed.

He said his government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of Taiwanese people and one option would be to issue a travel warning for Hong Kong.

Chiu added that Taipei is highly concerned about the plans and will be watching developments closely.

He also said he hopes the two sides will be able to establish a judicial cooperation mechanism in the future.

In response, Hong Kong's Undersecretary for Security, Sonny Au, said only that the government has been in contact with Taipei. He said the SAR would adopt a pragmatic attitude when dealing with one-off cases with other jurisdictions.

The SAR government says the need to change the city's Fugitive Offenders Ordinance was made clear by the recent murder of a Hong Kong woman in Taiwan. Under current laws, the SAR is unable to send the Hong Kong suspect back to the island to face trial.

The administration is now proposing to amend the law so that extraditions can be arranged on a case-by-case basis with any jurisdiction the city doesn't have a formal treaty with, including Taiwan and the mainland.