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SCMP Reporter

Seven right-of-abode claimants went on trial yesterday on murder and arson charges related to the blaze at Immigration Tower last year that killed an immigration officer and a migrant.

However, the trial suffered a setback when five of the accused said they had difficulty understanding an interpreter.

The part-time interpreter who was recruited to translate Cantonese into the Hoklo dialect spoke with a Chiuchow accent, which some of the accused said they could only slightly understand. The five defendants spoke Hoklo but with a Hoifung accent, their lawyers told Mr Justice Thomas Gall in the Court of First Instance.

Mr Justice Gall adjourned the case to this morning, saying he needed to discuss the matter with the chief interpreter of the Judiciary.

Yesterday saw the first real test of a simultaneous multi-channel interpretation system -  newly installed by the Judiciary as part of a $2.6 million revamp.

The first technical hiccup came 20 minutes into the hearing as the volume of the defendants' earphones was set too high.

'We're going to have a few little incidents like this,' Mr Justice Gall said, calling for a short break to sort out the problem.

Sze Kwan-lung, 24, Pang Hon-kwan, 40, Fu Mo, 38, Lam Hing-luen, 27, brothers Yeung Yee-ping, 29, and Yeung Yee-yim, 38, and Chau Hung-chuen, 30, yesterday pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of arson.

The right-of-abode claimants are accused of murdering migrant Lam Siu-sing, 26, and senior immigration officer Leung Kam-kwong, 42, on August 11 last year - the day the victims died.

They are also accused of starting a fire in Room 1301, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai, on August 2 last year with intent to cause damage or while being reckless as to whether damages would be caused.

Yesterday's hearing was the first day of an expected 50-day trial. A jury is not expected to be sworn in until later this week or early next week.

The morning was spent on legal arguments, but counsel for five of the accused returned in the afternoon to inform Mr Justice Gall of the interpretation problem.

The other two accused - Sze and Pang - understand Cantonese.

William Lee, for Chau, said his client could understand only 20 to 30 per cent of what the Hoklo-Cantonese interpreter had said during the morning.

William Stirling, for Yeung Yee-yim, said his client could understand, but only if the interpreter spoke slowly. John Hagon, for Yeung Yee-ping, said his client had similar difficulties.

Richard Wong Tat-wah said his client, Lam, coped by switching to the Cantonese channel as he could understand only about 20 to 30 per cent of the Hoklo interpretation. David Tolliday-Wright, for Fu, said his client was in a similar position.



Dialect confusion delays start as judge consults chief interpreter