Prominent solicitor quits Hong Kong Law Society committee drafting 2017 poll stance

A high-profile solicitor who helped initiate a confidence vote that brought down a Law Society president has quit the committee that will draft the society's submission to the government on constitutional reform.

Kevin Yam Kin-fung came to prominence last summer when he tabled a petition calling for a vote on Ambrose Lam San-keung's presidency after Lam endorsed a controversial Beijing white paper on Hong Kong affairs. Lam resigned after members of the solicitors' body, who were concerned that the white paper undermined judicial independence, voted against him.

But Yam announced yesterday that, after nine years, he was standing down from the society's constitutional affairs and human rights committee, which is next week expected to discuss the society's position on the 2017 chief executive election.

The resignation came as the committee co-opted four "very senior solicitors" as members - some of whom have strong ties to the pro-establishment camp. Yam refused to be drawn on whether politics drove his decision, adding: "After these co-options, the committee's recent shortage of members will have been dealt with, as its total membership will also be back above 10 people."

The new members include Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, a leading figure with rural powerbroker the Heung Yee Kuk, and Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung, a former director of the Hong Kong Youth Synergy Foundation, a group founded by a former assistant to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Also joining the committee are society vice-president Melissa Pang and Equal Opportunities Commission member Amirali Nasir. Other members include another vice-president, Thomas So Shiu-tsung, University of Hong Kong academic Dr James Fry and Mark Daly, a high-profile human rights specialist.