An association representing Hong Kong barristers said it was “appalled” by the Chinese legislature’s move to enforce mainland laws inside a Hong Kong railway station, denouncing it as the most retrograde step since the 1997 handover.
The Hong Kong Bar Association said the decision would “severely undermine” confidence in the rule of law in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule 20 years ago with the promise of a high degree of autonomy.
The Chinese National People’s Congress on Wednesday said part of a high-speed railway station being built in Hong Kong would be regarded as mainland territory governed by mainland laws under a so-called cooperation agreement.
Chinese and Hong Kong officials have argued that such a joint immigration checkpoint is necessary for passengers’ convenience.
Hong Kong operates under a “one country, two systems” principle that allows it to run its own police force, immigration controls and an independent, British-style judicial system, with lawyers split into barristers and solicitors.
The Basic Law, the territory’s mini-constitution, explicitly states Chinese national laws, with a few exceptions, do not apply in Hong Kong.
“This plainly amounts to an announcement by the NPCSC [Chinese National People’s Congress Standing Committee] that the cooperation agreement complies with the constitution and the Basic Law ‘just because the NPCSC says so,’” the association said.
“Such an unprecedented move is the most retrograde step to date in the implementation of the Basic Law, and severely undermines public confidence in ‘one country, two systems’ and the rule of law,” it said.
“The integrity of the Basic Law has now been irreparably breached,” it added.
The prospect of Beijing interfering in the financial hub has already stoked social tensions and protests, including the 2014 “Umbrella movement” street demonstrations that demanded, in vain, full democracy for the territory of 7.3 million people.
The abduction of Hong Kong-based booksellers in 2015, who later showed up across the border in Chinese custody, also touched a raw nerve.
The high-speed rail station is due to open next autumn in the heart of the territory, next to Victoria Harbour, one of the most famous views in the world.
The Hong Kong Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elsie Leung, deputy director of the Basic Law Committee in the NPCSC and the territory’s former legal chief, disputed the association’s comments.
“I think their understanding of the Chinese constitution is insufficient,” Leung told reporters in comments carried by Cable TV Hong Kong. “If you insist on using only common law principles to interpret the Basic Law, that is wrong.”
At a cost of more than HK$84 billion (US$10.75 billion), Hong Kong’s Express Rail Link is to connect with the rest of China’s high-speed rail network.
The plan is expected to sail through the Hong Kong Legislative Council in the first half of next year as opposition lawmakers have lost their veto power after a series of controversial court cases.
HOLLYWOOD IN TURMOIL: Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton and Cary Elwes lost properties to the flames, while awards events planned for this week have been delayed Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events, while at least five people have died. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week’s Oscar nominations have been delayed, while tens of thousands of city residents had been displaced and were awaiting word on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city’s most famous denizens. More than 1,900 structures had been destroyed and the number was expected to increase. More than 130,000 people
THE ‘MONSTER’: The Philippines on Saturday sent a vessel to confront a 12,000-tonne Chinese ship that had entered its exclusive economic zone The Philippines yesterday said it deployed a coast guard ship to challenge Chinese patrol boats attempting to “alter the existing status quo” of the disputed South China Sea. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said Chinese patrol ships had this year come as close as 60 nautical miles (111km) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon. “Their goal is to normalize such deployments, and if these actions go unnoticed and unchallenged, it will enable them to alter the existing status quo,” he said in a statement. He later told reporters that Manila had deployed a coast guard ship to the area
A group of Uyghur men who were detained in Thailand more than one decade ago said that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists and family members who say the men are at risk of abuse and torture if they are sent back. Forty-three Uyghur men held in Bangkok made a public appeal to halt what they called an imminent threat of deportation. “We could be imprisoned and we might even lose our lives,” the letter said. “We urgently appeal to all international organizations and countries concerned with human rights to intervene immediately to save us from
Some things might go without saying, but just in case... Belgium’s food agency issued a public health warning as the festive season wrapped up on Tuesday: Do not eat your Christmas tree. The unusual message came after the city of Ghent, an environmentalist stronghold in the country’s East Flanders region, raised eyebrows by posting tips for recycling the conifers on the dinner table. Pointing with enthusiasm to examples from Scandinavia, the town Web site suggested needles could be stripped, blanched and dried — for use in making flavored butter, for instance. Asked what they thought of the idea, the reply
RSS