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Hong Kong Basic Law
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong legal heavyweights warn against Beijing interpretations of Basic Law

Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen says National People’s Congress Standing Committee should avoid ruling in matters that could be handled by city’s own court system

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Rimsky Yuen (second left), Geoffrey Ma and Winnie Tam attend the ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year. Photo: Sam Tsang
Stuart LauandChris Lau
Beijing should avoid interpreting Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in matters that could be handled by its own independent court system under “one country, two systems”, the city’s justice secretary and Bar Association head said on Monday.
The comments came as Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li stressed that the city’s courts would rule impartially even in high-profile cases, as he said the government also needed to uphold the rule of law.
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In his last address at the legal year opening ceremony as secretary for justice under the current administration, Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung weighed in on the need for the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) to interpret the Basic Law in November after localist lawmakers took their oaths to insult China.

“I am confident that the rule of law in Hong Kong does and will remain well and alive after the interpretation,” Yuen said.

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“For future purposes, may I also venture to suggest that matters that can be properly handled within Hong Kong’s legal or judicial system should be left to be dealt with at the Hong Kong level as much as possible.”

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