There should be no place for illegal actions, radicalism in HK

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's social development and economic prowess can be attributed to social harmony and stability, which risk being undermined by the large-scale demonstrations against the proposed changes to the region's extradition laws. Perhaps this threat to social harmony and stability prompted Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Saturday to suspend the process for amendments to the SAR's Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance.

The amendments to the extradition laws were necessitated by the case of Chan Tong-kai, who is suspected of murdering his girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing (both Hong Kong residents) in Taiwan while they were vacationing there last year. The Hong Kong government expects to establish a cooperation mechanism with other jurisdictions with which it does not have long-term mutual legal assistance arrangements, such as Taiwan, because it would resolve the "handing over suspects for trial" issue.

The amendments are necessary to plug the loophole in Hong Kong's laws and improve its legal system. And they are in accordance with the rule of law, the Hong Kong Basic Law as well as international practices.