HONG KONG - The Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) started Wednesday to discuss a draft bill on amendments to the HKSAR's Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance.

The Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, proposed by the HKSAR government, was tabled at the LegCo meeting for first and second reading on Wednesday.

As he motioned for the second reading of the bill at the LegCo meeting, the HKSAR government's Secretary for Security John Lee said that amendments to the two ordinances aim at solving two "practical problems" - to deal with a 2018 homicide case that happened in Taiwan but involves a Hong Kong suspect who has returned to Hong Kong; and to fill a loophole in HKSAR's existing legal framework concerning mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Lee called on the LegCo members to support the bill so as to provide legal basis for HKSAR to cooperate with Taiwan over the homicide case.

After Wednesday's meeting, the bill will be submitted to a committee of LegCo for detailed scrutiny.