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- Hong Kong has been erupted by protests as thousands of people are protesting against the changes made in the extradition bill.
- The changes made in the extradition bill would allow suspects accused of crimes such as murder and rape to be extradited to mainland China to face trial.
- The law will also allow Hong Kong to hand over to China individuals accused of crimes in Taiwan and Macau.Taiwan has a tense relationship with China.Further,Macau like Hong Kong is a Chinese special administrative region with significant autonomy.
- The government has said that the proposed amendments would plug loopholes that allow the city to be used by criminals.It has assured that courts in Hong Kong would make the final decision on extradition and individuals accused of political and religious offences would not be extradited.
- However,critics of the bill have said that the chief executive who is not elected but chosen by an election committee accountable to China would have the authority to decide any request on extradition.
- Hong Kong’s courts would have the opportunity to review any decision but they would not be allowed to inquire into the quality of justice the accused would receive or whether they were guilty of the alleged offence.
- Further,Hong Kong currently has bilateral extradition treaties with 20 countries including the UK, the US and Singapore.However,the amendments put forward by the government are being framed as a way to enable the sending of suspected offenders to China with which the Hong Kong has no formal extradition agreement on a case-by-case or one-off basis.
- Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until it was returned to China in 1997.Central to the handover was the agreement of the Basic Law,a mini constitution that gives Hong Kong broad autonomy and sets out certain rights.
- Under the “one country, two systems” principle,Hong Kong has kept its judicial independence, its own legislature, its economic system and the Hong Kong dollar.Beijing retains control of foreign and defence affairs, and visas or permits are required for travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.