Thousands Take To Street Over Extradition Law

Thousands of people have taken to the street for a second time in a month to protest against the government's proposed changes to extradition laws, which could see people sent for trial across the border.

The demonstrators marched from Causeway Bay to the Legislative Council, demanding that the government withdraw the legislation.

"It’s just the beginning. I think what is going on is they’re testing – a step at a time," said one protester, explaining why she had joined the march.

"They’re testing the waters – so to speak. So if people are not coming out to object to this en masse, they will keep pushing the limit."

An estimated 12,000 people took part in a march against the bill last month, while the police put the turnout at 5,200.

Under the government's proposal, the chief executive would be given the power to kick-off the process to extradite people to places Hong Kong does not have a formal agreement with, on a case-by-case basis,

Officials say the changes can plug what they believed is a legal loophole, citing the case of 19-year-old Chan Tong-kai, who's accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan.

Chan could not be charged over the murder because there is no extradition agreement in place, but he will be sentenced in the High Court for money laundering on Monday.

The police commissioner, Stephen Lo, said his team had done its best under the existing law to deal with Tong's case and urged lawmakers to pass the extradition law as soon as possible

The extradition legislation has drawn widespread concerns locally and abroad, as many fear people will not receive a fair trial in the mainland, where it also lacks human right safeguards.

Critics say there are risks that Hong Kong people will be handed over to the mainland, even if they're wanted for political reasons.

On Saturday, Hong Kong's last governor Chris Patten called the proposed law change "a direct attack on the principle of one country two systems and Hong Kong’s autonomy under the rule of law".

Despite these concerns, the Carrie Lam administration remains adamant that the law will be passed in Legco before July.

Last updated: 2019-04-28 HKT 21:44