Mainland Affairs Council
Date: October 22, 2019
More than seven hours have passed since Taiwan sent a letter today (October 22, 2019) requesting permission of sending personnel to Hong Kong to bring back the suspect and relevant case files. However, the Hong Kong government has not responded specifically. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) again called on the Hong Kong government to take responsibility and positively respond to Taiwan's request.
The MAC emphasized that there shouldn’t be a “window period” in the judicial process. The suspect in the murder of the Hong Kong woman will be released tomorrow (October 23, 2019) and become a "free man" in the words of Hong Kong’s Department of Justice. If the suspect was able to flee the region, collude with others or destroy the evidence as he walks free, it would be unbearable for the victim's family, causing harm difficult to heal. In addition, if the Hong Kong government does not provide relevant case files, the case won’t be able to be smoothly investigated and justice therefore cannot be served. We call for the Hong Kong government to deeply consider these consequences as it shall bear full responsibility.
The government reiterated that Taiwan has shown the greatest sincerity and done its utmost in this murder case to serve justice, as well as to not let the people down. But if the Hong Kong government fails to respond positively, the following consequences will be upsetting for both sides.