'There Is Room For Improvement On Fugitive Bill'

Executive councillor Ronny Tong said on Wednesday that there's room for improvement in the government's extradition bill to ensure a fair trial.

Speaking a day after the secretaries for security and justice rejected changes to the government's bill, Tong suggested that additional safeguards can be introduced to protect Hong Kong residents who are citizens of foreign countries.

The senior counsel said under the UN regulations, Hong Kong can refuse extradition requests from countries if the wanted person is a citizen of that country.

He noted that this is a safeguard Chinese citizens will have if the mainland seeks their extradition. But under the current government proposal, this protection will not be given to other Hong Kong permanent residents who are citizens of other countries, he pointed out.

The barrister also said the Basic Law provides that the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) will apply in the SAR.

"Maybe we can consider whether we could write into the amendment that any requesting party will need to comply with Article 14 of the ICCPR, which deals with the basic guarantees for a fair trial," he told RTHK.

But Tong disagreed with criticism that the government wasn't interested in alternative ideas, despite the secretaries for security and justice on Tuesday dismissing other suggestions as impractical. He said he himself had submitted some changes to the administration.