Drive to find Basic Law body members

The provisional legislature president yesterday started soliciting views on the nomination of members for the influential Basic Law committee.

In a letter to the shadow body's members, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai said: 'The task of nomination will soon begin on the Committee for the Basic Law under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress . . .

'If members have any suitable candidates, please feel free to contact me. All recommendations will be kept confidential.' The 12-member committee's main tasks will be to help the National People's Congress Standing Committee interpret the Basic Law and to submit views on amendments to the law.

Six of the committee's member will be from the mainland and six from Hong Kong. Members will serve a term of five years.

Hong Kong members will be nominated jointly by Chief Executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa, post-handover chief justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang, and Mrs Fan.