Liaison Office weighs in on extradition law

Hong Kong deputies for China’s top legislative body met with officials from the Liaison Office on Friday, reported The Standard. They met to discuss the city’s controversial fugitive law amendment bill that critics say is being tailored for the mainland.

The move comes after the government announced its intent to bypass the bills committee by putting the fugitive law amendment bill to the full Legislative Council (LegCo) to resume a second reading.

According to the Hong Kong-based news outlet, the Liaison Office issued “important instructions” to the deputies in firm support of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

For her part, Lam said it was reasonable for Beijing to express its stance, backing the position held by her government.

The bill amendment has garnered resistance from the opposition pan-democrat camp on a scale not seen since the Occupy Central movement in 2014. Aside from taking to the streets in a protest which gathered tens of thousands last month, democrats in the LegCo have used tactics to stall the amendment from being passed.

The pan-democrats say they do not approve of the Liaison Office’s interference in the legislative matter. One LegCo member criticized the move, saying that “Hong Kong is not ruled by the Liaison Office,” according to The Standard. DB