Expect government plan for co-location of Guangzhou rail link checkpoints by end December, lawmaker says
Legco railways subcommittee chair Michael Tien fears there may be insufficient time to enact required local legislation before 2018 launch
New People’s Party lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, chairman of the Legislative Council’s railways subcommittee, said on Wednesday that he had gathered this news from various “sources”, but when he confronted transport minister Anthony Cheung Bing-leung in a private meeting, Cheung declined to confirm it.
“I heard from various sources that the co-location plan will be unveiled by the end of December. I asked the Secretary to confirm these today, but of course he did not,” Tien said, adding that Cheung told him only that the co-location plan would “conform to the Basic Law”.
The co-location arrangement, which pan-democrats say violates the Basic Law, would mean mainland officers being stationed at the West Kowloon terminus and enforcing laws in Hong Kong. This would require Legco’s approval because it involves enactment of local legislation.
However, sources close to MTR Corporation’s top management said that so far they had not received any news from the government about its plan, though construction of the co-location facilities had already begun at the West Kowloon terminus.
“We will stick to our schedule to produce the hardware. But we are not sure if the co-location can meet this schedule. After all, the design of the West Kowloon terminus is to specifically cater to the implementation of co-location,” a source said.
Tien also said it still remained unclear whether the immigration procedures would be partly enforced by Hong Kong officers and partly by mainland officers with the help of technology.
The lawmaker said his main concern was whether there would be enough time for enactment of local legislation before the express rail link was ready for launch in the third quarter of 2018.
“It is a controversial issue – you cannot assume that society can digest it and reach a consensus in 18 months. We are running out of time, if the plan is unveiled after next month, I am worried that people will say the government is forcing them to accept it as it is,” Tien said, adding that he expected the government would resolve all the relevant legal issues and queries.
Hinting at the possibility of mainland intervention, Tien said: “I hope it can be done by local legislation, because it would safeguard ‘one country, two systems’, and we are comfortable about it.”
