Hong Kong authorities said Wednesday that Taiwan is “creating obstacles” and stalling the surrender of murder suspect Chan Tong-kai.
Secretary for Security John Lee told reporters that Taiwan—which reportedly rejected Chan’s visa application—is barring the suspect from entering the territory and turning himself in.
Chan, who has admitted to murdering his then-girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, during a 2017 trip to Taiwan, has yet to face charges for his crime.
“The key for further action is not [with] the Hong Kong government. The key for further action is [on] the Taiwan side,” adding that Taiwan should not cite the lack of a mutual assistance law between the territories as reason not to facilitate his surrender.
Last week, Anglican priest Koon Ho-ming, who is assisting Chan with his case, went to Taipei’s representative office in Hong Kong and was seen holding Chan’s documents.
Read more: Murder suspect not heading to Taiwan yet because his Mandarin is ‘not very good,’ priest says
He is believed to have been helping Chan apply for a visa to Taiwan. But yesterday, Koon said the office told him it would not accept the application “for now.”
Lee said he has read Poon’s mother’s letter urging him to expedite Chan’s surrender, and that he “want[s] as much as she does to facilitate the surrender of Chan.”
But he said that the laws do not allow Hong Kong to engage in “legal assistance” with Taiwan, emphasizing that the ball is in Taiwan’s court.
This Friday will mark one year since Chan was released from prison, where he served time for a money laundering charge related to his murder.
Poon’s mother said earlier that if Chan does not turn himself in Taiwan authorities by Friday, she will not offer him a mitigating testimony that could lighten his sentence.
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