The Court of Final Appeal on Tuesday refused an application by an eight-year-old girl born locally to mainlanders to join the right of abode challenge mounted by foreign domestic helpers.
Liang Wing-ki and her mother, Li Yinxian, worried that her right of abode would be affected after the government said it would request the top court to ask Beijing to clarify an interpretation relating to the right of abode of different categories of people including Chinese nationals born in Hong Kong.
She filed documents with the top court last week, applying to intervene in the appeal.
Making the application to join the case, Philip Dykes SC, for Liang, said: “The right and obligation of this type of persons are engaged but their voices will not be heard in court.”
But Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li said: “We do not accede to your application. We feel that the points you seem to argue are adequately covered and will be adequately covered.”
Ma said the lawyers for the government and the domestic helpers filed “hundreds and hundreds of pages” of documents to the court that cover the arguments advanced by the girl’s lawyer.
It also became clear for the first time what, exactly, the government wanted the top court to refer to Beijing for an interpretation.