Examined laws pass the test

ABOUT 20 per cent of Hong Kong's laws have been examined and found to be in line with the Basic Law, according to the Beijing-appointed working panel on the change of sovereignty.

Some needed only minor changes, mainly involving the use of colonial terms such as ''Crown'' or ''Queen'', said Tam Yiu-chung, a Preliminary Working Committee legal affairs sub-group member.

Another area that required changes was references saying an ordinance should be interpreted according to its English version rather than its Chinese one. He said this contradicted the Basic Law.

With the inclusion of members such as former Law Society president Ambrose Lau Hon-chuen and former High Court judge Arthur Garcia to the panel, Mr Tam hoped that the work of the sub-group could move faster.