It's mind-boggling of Taiwan premier Su Tseng-chang to say murder suspect Chan Tong-kai can't go to the island freely, even if he is willing to turn himself in to the police over the killing of his girlfriend Poon Hiu-wing in Taipei in 2018.

As soon as Su said Chan wouldn't be allowed to "come and go freely," any sensible mind could not but be bewildered.

One can't help wondering if it isn't only common sense that Chan is prepared to accept his being arrested the moment he gets on a plane bound for the island?

Su's words are senseless - unless, that is, he doesn't want Chan to be tried in a court of law in Taiwan at all, despite an arrest warrant out for him.

The case could have been very simply handled in light of Chan's open apology to the victim's family and his expressed willingness to stand trial in Taiwan.

Even more bewildering was the premier's unsettling remarks that suggested both Chan and Poon's being Hong Kong residents meant that the SAR could handle the murder case instead.

Given his previous career as a lawyer, Su should know that Taiwan, not Hong Kong, has jurisdication over the murder case since it occurred in Taiwan.

It's obvious that obstacles are being deliberately put up.

If the Hong Kong government was blamed for complicating the matter with a proposed extradition bill that eventually ushered in the SAR's worst social unrest in half a century, Taiwan's pro-independence government must now be held responsible for the deadlock that could have been solved readily.

It's no wonder that even pro-democracy lawmaker James To Kun-sun has lost patience with Taiwan and questioned the merits of Taipei's efforts to hold up Chan's bid to turn himself in.

If the crazy situation drags on, will Chan change his mind and justice be forever denied to Poon?

Taipei officials have been taking turns to comment on Chan's plan to turn himself in, but each time they spoke, the door for Chan was closed a little, making the suspect's trip increasingly unlikely.

Interior minister Hsu Kuo-ying said he had only learned about the intention through media reports, while a spokesman for the immigration ministry chipped in by saying that Chan had been flagged and couldn't apply for a visa online.

Perhaps Taiwan is the world's only jurisdication that is refusing a chance to capture a fugitive on its wanted list.

Others, including the United States, would have gone all out to arrest criminal suspects.

Wasn't former Huawei financial controller Meng Wanzhou arrested even during a transit at a Canadian airport because there was a US warrant out for her?

The development is totally incomprehensible.

The only probable explanation for Taiwan's hesitation must be due to political considerations, and if that is true, then it would be most unfortunate and bode ill for Taiwan's democracy in the long term.

As far as Chan is concerned, the debacle - unless solved soon - will end in the best possible scenario that he could have hoped for and I fear that before long, police will have to step down in their "protection" of the murder suspect.

Taipei pulls out all stops in Chan epic