SundayNewspaper

2 R SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2019 | | News A5 By AUSTIN RAMZY The New York Times HONG KONG—Anger over a proposal that would let people suspected of crimes be extradited tomainland China led to pandemonium in Hong Kong’s legislature Saturday, as lawmakers scuffled and at least one was carried out on a stretcher. It was the most vivid dis- play to date of the deep divide in the semiautonomous Chi- nese territory over the legisla- tion. Tens of thousands of people marched on the Legis- lative Council in April to protest the bill, the largest demonstration in Hong Kong since the pro-democracy UmbrellaMovement in 2014. The bill would let Hong Kong’s government send people suspected of crimes to jurisdictions with which it does not have extradition agreements. The government said it is urgently needed because a Hong Kongman accused of killing his girl- friend in Taiwan in 2018 could otherwise go free. Both sides of the dispute agree that the man should face trial. But opposition lawmakers, rights groups, lawyers’ associations, foreign governments and prominent voices in Hong Kong’s power- ful business community have expressed concern that the extradition bill would subject people in the territory to the mainland Chinese legal sys- tem, which is opaque and heavily influenced by the governing Communist Party. Pro-democracy opposition lawmakers have tried to stop the bill, proposing a narrower calling her a liar. After business groups raised concerns this year that the bill could put people at risk of being sent to the main- land over financial disputes, the government dropped nine economic crimes from the list of offenses that could lead to extradition. But that did not mollify all the bill’s critics. The Hong Kong Bar Association asked in April why, if mainland courts could not be trusted to deal with economic crimes, they should be trusted with handling other criminal cases. A U.S. congressional com- mission last week criticized the extradition proposal, saying it “would diminish Hong Kong’s reputation as a safe place for U.S. and inter- national business operations, and could pose increased risks for U.S. citizens and port calls in the territory.” The report also said the bill could violate provisions of the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which outlines U.S. policy toward the terri- tory. Under that legislation, if Hong Kong is deemed to be insufficiently autonomous fromChina, the U.S. presi- dent can suspend agree- ments with the city on trade, investment, visas and extra- ditions. Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s commerce secretary, said the questions raised by the U.S. commission’s report showed why Hong Kong lawmakers needed to examine the pro- posal “so that we canmake the bill workable and we can allow different views to be expressed.” systems, as well as far better protection of civil liberties than on the mainland. Mainland China has long been excluded fromHong Kong’s extradition agree- ments. On Thursday, the city’s top official, Carrie Lam, denied that it was because of concerns about the quality of its judicial system. Several opposition lawmakers were removed from that meeting for interrupting Lam and keep the territory frombe- coming a haven for criminal suspects. Opponents say opening up extraditions to mainland China would fur- ther erode the unique legal status of Hong Kong, a for- mer British colony that was returned to China in 1997 under a framework called “one country, two systems.” That arrangement allows the territory its own government and legal and economic by pro-Beijing lawmakers, each claiming that the other was illegitimate. Gary Fan, a member of the opposition camp, was taken out on a stretcher after he fell while trying to take a microphone away from another politi- cian. His office said he was conscious and awaiting treat- ment at a hospital. The government has said it needs the bill’s broad autho- rization for extraditions to alternative that would allow extradition only to Taiwan. The opposition, which lost much of its clout after several pro-democracy lawmakers were disqualified in 2016 and 2017, is waging a proce- dural fight against the pro- posal. The chaos erupted Satur- day as two committees tried tomeet simultaneously to consider the bill —one led by the opposition and the other Legislative uproar over extradition law K I N C H E U N G / T H E A S S O C I A T E D P R E S S Pro-democracy and pro-Beijing lawmakers scuffle Saturday in the Legislative Council chamber in Hong Kong, as the legislative assembly descended into chaos over controversial amendments to the territory’s extradition law. NATION&WORLD 19406 68th Avenue S. • Kent ASK ABOUT OUR FINANCING – 60MONTHS LOW-INTEREST ** 206-536-2804 SaleAtChampion.com CALL OR CLICK BEFORE MAY 31! 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