HONG KONG – A murder suspect walked free from jail as the city’s authorities squabbled with Taiwan over how to handle a promised voluntary surrender.
Chan Tong-kai, a citizen here whose case was used by the Hong Kong government to push for a controversial extradition bill, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year before fleeing back to the Chinese-ruled financial hub.
The government here seized on the case to justify pushing through a now-withdrawn extradition bill leading to five months of sometimes violent protests that evolved into broader calls for democracy.
An extradition bill would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent from Hong Kong to greater China, including the mainland, Taiwan and Macau.
The government has announced it will withdraw the bill but the protests have not stopped. The city’s legislature is due to withdraw it formally on Wednesday.(Reuters)
