As many as 50,000 Hong Kong men could be stepping into a legal minefield by living with their mistresses in Guangdong after the latest amendment to mainland marital laws, deputy solicitor-general Stephen Wong Kai-yi said yesterday.
The amendment, endorsed by the National People's Congress on April 28, seeks to improve the 50-year-old marriage law by changing laws on bigamy.
After the change, bigamy extends to cover not only legal marriages but also cohabitation lasting for a period of time yet to be defined.
Addressing a seminar held in Shenzhen on the amendment, Mr Wong, a barrister and principal government counsel, said although it was a step in the right direction, he was worried about the implementation of the law and how cohabitation could be effectively proved.
He estimated there were up to 50,000 Hong Kong men who have or intend to have mainland mistresses. 'I am worried about the criminal liability relating to the issue. By criminalising [bigamous cohabitation], one's freedom is restricted,' he said.
Mr Wong said even if a period were set at which cohabitation became considered as marriage, the parties involved might not know each other's marital status.