Fresh plea for justice by mother of slain victim

Open letter calls on leader Carrie Lam to send suspected killer to Taiwan for trial

The mother of a murder victim whose case sparked widespread protests against an extradition bill has renewed calls for the city’s leader to send the suspected killer to Taiwan for trial before she leaves office next month.

But lawmaker Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, an Anglican priest who has been assisting suspect Chan Tong-kai, cited the coronavirus pandemic for the 2½-year deadlock over the case, saying governments on both sides might be “unmotivated” to explore a breakthrough.

In an open message to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor yesterday, Amber Poon Hiu-wing’s mother appealed to Lam to seek justice for her daughter, who was 19 and pregnant when she was allegedly killed in Taipei by her boyfriend in February 2018.

“This is the fifth year that my daughter did not celebrate Mother’s Day with me and my family. I am deeply grieved when looking at the past,” Poon said.

“As you are leaving your post soon, I hope you can do one good thing – resolve the case involving cold-blooded Chan Tong-kai as soon as possible by sending him to the place where the incident happened for trial,” she said. “At least all Hongkongers and history will remember that you have the heart to solve problems before you leave office.”

Chan is wanted in Taiwan for murder. Aged 20 at the time, he returned to Hong Kong after Poon’s death and was jailed for money-laundering. He begged for public forgiveness on release from 29 months in jail in October 2019, but could not be sent back to face murder charges because of the lack of an extradition deal between the two jurisdictions.

The case led Lam to propose amendments to a controversial bill that would also allow the transfer of fugitives to the mainland, sparking protests by residents over their freedoms, with the movement later morphing into a months-long anti-government campaign.

Now a lawmaker, Koon, an outspoken priest who regularly visited Chan, asked for patience, saying closed borders across the Taiwan Strait amid the pandemic had complicated matters.

“‘Kai zai’ has repeatedly expressed his willingness to surrender to Taiwan authorities,” Koon said, referring to Chan. He said the Hong Kong government had “paid the price”, while its Taiwanese counterpart was unwilling to cooperate.

“The global Covid-19 situation may have made the two governments unmotivated to explore breakthroughs … The dynamic may change after that.”

Taiwan and Hong Kong have not been able to agree on how to move forward with Chan’s surrender and he has been living “somewhere remote” in the city.

The Chief Executive’s Office has been asked for a response.