Provincial Secretary General of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (HK Anglican Church) cum Member of Beijing Municipal Committee of The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Rev. Canon Peter Douglas Koon, supports the controversial Extradition Law (Sing Tao Daily 2019-5-20). "The Church's stance is that culprits have to be brought to justice," Koon asserts, "If the Extradition Law is not amended, the suspect of the Taiwan murder case will get away with it, and this goes against justice." Koon opines that the whole things has come so suddenly that the public is not psychologically prepared for the amendment. "The HK Government thus had better explain more to the public." Koon also believes that Christians will not be extradited to China for religious reasons. "The judicial system on the mainland is constantly improving and that there was no need for concern."
Cardinal Tong Prays that HK Govt Defend HK Freedom
In a 2019-5-17 letter issued to the Catholic community, the interim head of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, Cardinal John Tong, called on Catholics to pray so that government officials will have a sense of humility to listen to different views and defend the safety and freedom of Hong Kong people, as far as the Extradition Law is concerned.
Massive Protests against Extradition Law
On April 28, 130 thousand Hongkongers took to the street and protested against the extradition law. On May 11, pan-democracy lawmakers clashed with pro-establishment lawmakers in the Legco when the latter tried to illegitimately replace the pan-democracy chairman of the Bill Committee.
Loophole or Pretext?
The Hong Kong Government claims that the aim of the proposed amendment to the extradition law is to fill up a loophole in the HK legal system, ostensibly highlighted by a case of murder, in which a HK man, after allegedly killing his HK girlfriend while traveling in Taiwan, returned to HK. The Taiwanese authorities, however, have disapproved of the amendment. Many Hongkongers are worried that the real purpose of the amendment is to make it possible to transfer anybody in HK, including Hongkongers and Westerners, whom the CCP dislikes, to China, whose record of rule of law is abhorrent, to say the least. A recent USCC report has warned that should the extradition law be passed, America may cancel the Hong Kong Policy Act.
Pic credit: RTHK
