A HIGH Court jury hearing Hong Kong's first mass murder case is to sit six days a week from today in an unprecedented bid to speed up a 15-month marathon trial.
A seven-member jury, empanelled in December 1992, is trying 14 Vietnamese men for murder and arson following the deaths of 24 Vietnamese at Sek Kong detention centre in February 1992.
The case opened in January last year before Mr Justice Gall and although it was always expected to last several months it has overrun dramatically.
Many days have been lost because either a defendant, a witness, a lawyer, an interpreter or a juror has been sick.
There have also been breaks for holidays to allow jurors a rest.
For the past six months, there have been problems with witnesses who are yet to testify for both the prosecution and the defence but who long to return to Vietnam, after waiting two years to give evidence.
