Mainlanders fighting for right of abode after coming to Hong Kong on two-way permits should be dealt with urgently because the issue affected the whole of society, a judge said yesterday.
Mr Justice Wally Yeung Chun-kuen told six right of abode seekers yesterday that their cases should be treated with priority because there were similar applications filed to the courts almost every day.
Chan Kam-chu, 30, Lam Lai-nar, 33, Lam Yung-nam, 31, Chan Wai-man, 39, Chong Kong-hoi, 43, and Lee Lai-kwan, 35, came here on two-way permits after the reinterpretation of the Basic Law by the National People's Congress on June 26 last year.
The unrepresented applicants are seeking a judicial review challenging the Director of Immigration's decision not to allow them to stay in the SAR.
There are two upcoming landmark cases concerning the right of abode. One involves more than 5,000 mainlanders and the other 43.
'These types of cases are of a matter of urgency . . . every day there are people coming to Hong Kong on a two-way permit,' the judge said, adjourning the Court of First Instance hearing until April 27.