Last year, a couple from Hong Kong went on vacation in Vietnam. The man came back, the women did not. Several weeks later police found the woman’s body on the side of the road in Vietnam. When they did the autopsy, they discovered that she had been about five months pregnant. While this is a sad case, it seems like it would be fairly simple to process. The boyfriend killed his girlfriend and should be charged with her murder. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
The crime had taken place in Vietnam and because of the the Hong Kong authorities have no power to convict him. There are certain extradition laws in place that prevent Hong Kong for trying the man because it didn’t happen there and he also can’t go back to Vietnam to be tried. The only thing he was convicted of was being in possession of her belongings because he brought them back to Hong Kong.
How can these laws be in place if they prevent the rightful conviction of murderers? I understand that there is a less than positive relationship between China and Vietnam, but this is something they should be working together on. No one deserves to get away with a crime like this just because two governments can’t agree. Also, if it’s happening here, it’s probably happening between other countries as well. Extradition laws should be in place to protect the innocent, not shelter the harmful.