Taiwan has yet to issue visa to allow murder suspect Chan Tong-tai to turn himself in, reverend says

Hong Kong murder suspect Chan Tong-kai has yet to receive a visa to allow him to travel to Taiwan and turn himself in to local authorities, Reverend Peter Koon has said.

Chan’s then-partner Amber Poon Hiu-wing was murdered three years ago at the age of 20 on the second day of Lunar New Year. The case sparked a political crisis over a now-axed extradition bill which, in turn, led to months of intense protests and unrest in Hong Kong.

Chan Tong-kai poon hiu-wing peter koon suitcase murder case — Mrs. Poon.

In an attempt to urge Chan to surrender himself more than a year after he promised to do so publicly, Mrs. Poon – mother of the victim – told local newspaper Apple Daily on Tuesday that she had sent him a suitcase identical to the one her daughter’s body was hidden in. It was passed on last December as a reminder that justice has yet to be served, she said.

In response to media enquiries, Reverend Koon said on Tuesday that the suitcase has been received and a lawyer in Taiwan has made attempts to communicate through a “single window” with authorities there, informing them that Chan was willing to travel to Taiwan to surrender. But, thus far, he has not received a positive response.

Chan currently lives in a safe house provided by police at an undisclosed location, Koon said.

Koon, provincial secretary-general of the Hong Kong Anglican Church Sheng Kung Hui, has been assisting Chan and acting as his de facto media spokesperson since his release from prison in October 2019. Chan had served an 18-month sentence for a related money laundering crime. His release came amid a row between Hong Kong and Taiwan over how to handle the case.

“The body stored in the suitcase was my daughter. [The scene] is still in my mind and cannot be erased,” Mrs. Poon said in an interview. She mailed a pink suitcase as a Christmas present, saying she hoped Chan “will be reminded of her as he sees the suitcase and will not forget the person who was in it.”