https://www.scmp.com/rss/326710/feed Alvin Lum is an award-winning political journalist specialising in Hong Kong politics and the city's justice system. Previously, he worked for the Hong Kong Economic Journal and Citizen News. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Policing in Hong Kong has no systemic problem and the use of force was only in response to violence during last year’s chaotic anti-government protests, the police watchdog’s long-awaited report has concluded, while also recommending areas for improvement in internal enforcement and communication with the public. In its 999-page report released on Friday, the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) made 52 recommendations, including a review of the force’s operational command structure,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084550/hong-kong-anti-government-protests-police-use-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084550/hong-kong-anti-government-protests-police-use-force?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2020 07:17:53 +0000 The head of the Hong Kong Law Society has defended her contentious decision to back certain candidates in one of the body’s most polarised elections in recent years, saying she was merely exercising her freedom of expression. Melissa Kaye Pang’s remarks on Thursday came against a backdrop of heated competition for spots on the governing council of the professional body for solicitors. The results of the election at the end of the month could determine whether the society becomes more outspoken... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084454/hong-kong-law-society-chief-defends-controversial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3084454/hong-kong-law-society-chief-defends-controversial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2020 13:25:53 +0000 The first chartered flight rescuing hundreds of Hong Kong residents from India’s coronavirus lockdown has been earmarked for this weekend, although thousands more remain stranded without knowing when they can return. The government said on Wednesday that a flight had been “tentatively scheduled” for Sunday that would prioritise Hongkongers located in New Delhi and the surrounding areas with special requirements, which included pregnant women, children and those with illnesses, as well as family... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3084272/coronavirus-first-chartered-flight-home-hongkongers-stuck-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3084272/coronavirus-first-chartered-flight-home-hongkongers-stuck-india?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2020 14:41:53 +0000 Hundreds of Hong Kong households will have to be screened for Covid-19 to tackle a potential new community cluster of infections after family members of a grandmother who contracted the coronavirus locally also tested positive. Health authorities were also ramping up testing to cover hundreds of workers at the airport as the city reported a new imported case on Wednesday, along with the case of the 66-year-old woman – the first local transmission in more than three weeks – and her five-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3084153/coronavirus-eight-relatives-locally-infected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3084153/coronavirus-eight-relatives-locally-infected?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2020 04:23:38 +0000 A local human rights group has accused the Hong Kong police force of beating and treating arrestees inhumanely during last year’s anti-government protests, in a report they will submit to the United Nations. Civil Rights Observer, which published the findings of its months-long investigation on Tuesday, interviewed 45 arrestees for the report, which suggests the force may have violated international treaties against torture. “The fact that these cases happened repeatedly has demonstrated that it... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3084050/hong-kong-police-systematically-infringed-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3084050/hong-kong-police-systematically-infringed-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2020 23:00:18 +0000 Lawmakers on both sides of the political divide are considering whether to report their rivals to police after a row in Hong Kong’s legislature over control of a key committee descended into chaos in the chamber. Two opposition legislators revealed on Saturday they planned to make formal allegations of assault, while the pro-establishment camp was mulling filing complaints of its own to the force. It follows a turbulent meeting of the Legislative Council’s House Committee on Friday, when a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083653/hong-kong-lawmakers-both-sides-mull-reporting-rivals-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083653/hong-kong-lawmakers-both-sides-mull-reporting-rivals-police?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2020 11:57:08 +0000 A meeting in Hong Kong’s legislature descended into shouting matches and scuffles as 11 opposition lawmakers were thrown out by a pro-establishment leader who took control of a key committee to begin clearing a backlog of bills for review. The pan-democrats walked out of talks on Friday after losing their hold over the House Committee, threatening court action against Legislative Council staff, including legal advisers and security guards, whom they accused of abandoning political neutrality and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083454/rivals-refuse-budge-hours-ahead-hong-kong-legislative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083454/rivals-refuse-budge-hours-ahead-hong-kong-legislative?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2020 05:09:37 +0000 Hong Kong lawmakers from opposing camps are gearing up for a showdown over control of a key committee in the legislature, with both sides bracing for physical clashes. The opposition camp is expected on Friday to filibuster at the Legislative Council House Committee meetings, using legal opinion obtained from two constitutional law experts. They will accuse pro-Beijing heavyweight Starry Lee Wai-king of conflict of interest in handling council affairs while standing for re-election, slamming her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083386/hong-kong-lawmakers-set-chaotic-showdown-over-control-key?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083386/hong-kong-lawmakers-set-chaotic-showdown-over-control-key?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2020 23:30:05 +0000 Hong Kong’s legislature could face legal challenges if it allows the pro-establishment bloc to bypass the election process in a key committee and proceed with other business, according to a former president. Andrew Wong Wang-fat, the Legislative Council’s president from 1995 to 1997 and an expert on the body’s rules and procedures, was speaking after pro-government heavyweight Starry Lee Wai-king announced the move to set aside the election of a chairman for the House Committee and clear a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083169/hong-kongs-legislative-council-could-face-legal-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3083169/hong-kongs-legislative-council-could-face-legal-challenges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2020 00:00:12 +0000 Hong Kong is preparing its first chartered flights for residents of the city stranded in India by the Covid-19 pandemic, hoping to bring about 300 of them home as early as May 14, the Post has learned. Sources involved in arranging the repatriation said the initial group would depart from New Delhi aboard an Air India flight, while some residents trapped on the subcontinent said they had been notified of a potential flight from Mumbai that could take place a day later. Hong Kong’s Immigration... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3083201/coronavirus-first-chartered-flights-works-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3083201/coronavirus-first-chartered-flights-works-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2020 23:00:09 +0000 Hong Kong is in talks with mainland Chinese and Macau authorities to mutually recognise the health status of cross-border travellers to avoid doubling their Covid-19 quarantine periods. The move came as the city considered relaxing border restrictions and social-distancing measures amid a slower spread of the coronavirus. Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Saturday that authorities were in discussion with Guangdong province and Macau to craft a joint mechanism which could... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3082565/hong-kong-talks-mainland-china-and-macau-mutually?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3082565/hong-kong-talks-mainland-china-and-macau-mutually?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2020 04:14:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s justice department and opposition lawmakers have both applied to appeal a ruling on the government mask ban imposed at the height of last year’s civil unrest, the Post has learned. The move to take the issue to the city’s top court came as a former senior judge weighed into the debate, saying the Court of Appeal’s ruling last month was impractical and would confuse frontline officers tasked with enforcing the ban. At the centre of the legal wrangle is the government’s use of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082521/hong-kong-mask-ban-proponents-foes-both-plan-appeal-recent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082521/hong-kong-mask-ban-proponents-foes-both-plan-appeal-recent?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2020 01:30:14 +0000 Dozens of Hongkongers who returned from Pakistan have protested over being forced into government quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic by rejecting the food that was given to them and at one point even threatening to go on hunger strike, the Post has learned. The food was poor quality and sometimes arrived long after sundown, leaving Muslims who had been fasting because of Ramadan hungry for hours, according to one returnee. The Immigration Department is in the process of helping about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3082545/dozens-hongkongers-returning-pakistan-protest-against-poor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3082545/dozens-hongkongers-returning-pakistan-protest-against-poor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2020 23:45:16 +0000 Hong Kong’s five-day streak of zero coronavirus infections ended on Friday when two arrivals from Pakistan tested positive, leading health experts to warn that more imported cases were expected and local contagion remained a threat. As its infected total increased to 1,039, officials said Hong Kong must wait at least two more weeks without recording any new local cases before declaring the community spread under control. Neither of Friday’s new cases showed any symptoms and both were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3082468/coronavirus-hong-kongs-five-day-streak-no-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3082468/coronavirus-hong-kongs-five-day-streak-no-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2020 07:24:44 +0000 Dr Gerard McCoy, a prolific barrister and constitutional law expert who defended political activists as well as some of Hong Kong’s most notorious killers, has died aged 63. A senior counsel since 1997, he was one of the very few barristers in Hong Kong who was equally at home in civil and criminal courts, and was described by close friends and colleagues as the city’s “best legal brain”. Gilt Chambers, which McCoy co-founded, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the New Zealand native –... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3082257/barrister-gerard-mccoy-who-liked-challenge-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3082257/barrister-gerard-mccoy-who-liked-challenge-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2020 03:58:34 +0000 Hong Kong’s government departments should keep pace with global standards in the archiving of online content, the audit watchdog has warned, criticising a six-year delay in the implementation of a strategy. In the latest report by the Audit Commission, it noted that at present government agencies were not required to keep records of their websites and social media accounts on a publicly available database. “As Hong Kong is lagging behind other overseas jurisdictions ... there is a need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082196/hong-kong-government-should-keep-pace-global-standards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082196/hong-kong-government-should-keep-pace-global-standards?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2020 12:31:43 +0000 Human rights experts from the United Nations have urged the Hong Kong government to review its terrorism and sedition laws, describing their drafting as so broad they can be used to suppress lawful protests and other freedoms. In a letter to the Chinese delegation in Geneva last Thursday, which was made available to local rights groups on Tuesday, six special rapporteurs said the legislation should be brought in line with the international human rights treaties that apply to Hong Kong. While the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082188/hong-kong-urged-review-terrorism-and-sedition-legislation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3082188/hong-kong-urged-review-terrorism-and-sedition-legislation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2020 11:55:30 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader said her decision not to reappoint an opposition legislator to the city’s competition watchdog was based on merit, while the lawmaker in question warned against the politicisation of public bodies. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was speaking a day after her administration announced the reappointment of 11 members, and the appointment of four new members, to the 15-strong Competition Commission. Their new two-year term will start on May 1. Reappointed member Samuel... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081949/decision-not-reappoint-opposition-legislator-dennis-kwok?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081949/decision-not-reappoint-opposition-legislator-dennis-kwok?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:04:37 +0000 The Hong Kong Bar Association’s chairman has urged the city government to make clear whether Beijing’s supervisory power over the city extends to the judiciary and prosecutors. Philip Dykes made his comments a day after the city’s justice secretary said the central government’s liaison office has such powers, and was not bound by the Basic Law’s rule over non-interference. The debate over the liaison office’s power erupted earlier this month, when the office issued statements criticising... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081887/top-lawyer-asks-government-if-beijing-could-control-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081887/top-lawyer-asks-government-if-beijing-could-control-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2020 06:32:07 +0000 Public services will start returning to normal next Monday, when most civil servants will go back to their offices, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said. But the chief executive did not confirm if rules on social distancing and restrictions on arrivals from mainland China, which both expire on May 7, would be extended, noting any relaxation had to take place gradually. “I want to stress there are fluctuations in the number of cases,” Lam said on Tuesday. “So, we could not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3081842/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-services-resume-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3081842/coronavirus-hong-kong-public-services-resume-next?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2020 02:38:18 +0000 Two prominent lawyers and pro-democracy activists on Saturday raised concerns about remarks by a Hong Kong judge who expressed sympathy for a tour guide he jailed for stabbing three people at a popular site for anti-government messages. But other legal experts said it was hard to argue there was any bias in the sentence handed down, even though District Judge Kwok Wai-kin’s comments might not have been necessary. The judge on Friday jailed Tony Hung Chun, 51, for 45 months for stabbing a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3081566/concerns-raised-over-remarks-hong-kong-judge-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3081566/concerns-raised-over-remarks-hong-kong-judge-who?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2020 13:22:51 +0000 Arguments continued to rage in a meeting of a deadlocked committee in Hong Kong’s legislature on Friday, as a pro-establishment lawmaker vowed not to bow to opposition demands that she drop her bid to be re-elected chairwoman. The Legislative Council’s House Committee was again unable to elect its chair at its 16th meeting, with the opposition pan-democrats raising issues about earlier disputes involving the Legco secretariat, in another move seen by their rivals as filibustering. Over the past... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081494/more-arguments-hong-kongs-gridlocked-house-committee-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081494/more-arguments-hong-kongs-gridlocked-house-committee-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:35:23 +0000 The president of Hong Kong’s legislature is moving to wrest control of a committee from opposition lawmakers who have been holding up its work with filibustering, as it becomes the centrepiece of a fight between their camp and Beijing’s agencies in charge of the city’s affairs. In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the secretariat of the Legislative Council confirmed that president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen had sought external legal advice from a senior counsel in late March, noting the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081313/hong-kong-legco-president-makes-move-wrest-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3081313/hong-kong-legco-president-makes-move-wrest-control?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:30:13 +0000 United Nations experts have expressed “serious concern” over allegations by volunteer first aid workers who say they were harassed, detained and denied access to injured protesters during months of anti-government unrest in Hong Kong last year, saying local authorities appeared to have violated international human rights principles. Three UN special rapporteurs and a member of a working group on arbitrary detention first sent their inquiries to the Chinese delegation in Geneva on February 19,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3081128/un-experts-suggest-human-rights-violations-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3081128/un-experts-suggest-human-rights-violations-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:08:12 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday announced new ministerial roles for five principal officials and bid farewell to four others leaving her administration, in a major cabinet reshuffle that she said was required to meet the challenges ahead and rebuild the city after the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed the idea of the reshuffle being due since last year’s social unrest, and denied she was tightening control over a civil service whose members... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080991/beijing-officially-approves-hong-kong-cabinet-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080991/beijing-officially-approves-hong-kong-cabinet-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2020 03:27:31 +0000 Hong Kong’s protest leaders have vowed to return to the city’s streets after the arrest of 15 leading opposition figures amid new claims that Beijing was interfering in the city’s internal affairs. The 15 were accused of organizing and taking part in unauthorized marches in August and October last year as part of a wave of anti-government demonstrations that swept the city, initially triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill. Their supporters said the arrests were meant to silence dissent... https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-protests-look-theyre-coming-back/article/3080685?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/hong-kongs-protests-look-theyre-coming-back/article/3080685?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2020 11:10:19 +0000 Beijing authorities were acting within their right to warn Hong Kong opposition lawmakers against paralysing proceedings in the legislature, which was a “scandalous” failure of governing that had already led to “significant malfunctioning” of the body’s constitutional role, a leading legal expert said. Professor Albert Chen Hung-yee, who advises Beijing as a member of the Basic Law Committee, also backed the central government’s view the central government’s liaison office and the Hong Kong and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080564/leading-legal-adviser-says-beijing-offices-right-criticise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080564/leading-legal-adviser-says-beijing-offices-right-criticise?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2020 00:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong police rounded up at least 15 veterans and supporters of the opposition camp in a swoop on Saturday that netted, among others, media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and prominent barrister Martin Lee Chu-ming for their roles in unlawful protests late last year. Pan-democrat legislators said the arrests, which came after recent accusations by three Beijing authorities that the camp had been blocking and disrupting legislative proceedings, were meant to silence dissent. However, police chief... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080529/least-12-hong-kong-opposition-veterans-arrested-police-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080529/least-12-hong-kong-opposition-veterans-arrested-police-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2020 04:47:06 +0000 Justice minister Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah has said Hong Kong’s top judge was the best person to confirm that mainland Chinese authorities did not interfere in the legal system, as she responded to a report questioning the city’s judicial independence. Cheng said the independence of the judiciary, which is guaranteed under the Basic Law, was intact, adding that politics never came into consideration when it came to appointing judges. In recent years years, there have been instances of Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080404/hong-kong-justice-secretary-defends-independence-citys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080404/hong-kong-justice-secretary-defends-independence-citys?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 07:32:37 +0000 Beijing’s foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong has thrown its support behind two fellow mainland agencies that slammed opposition filibustering tactics on Monday, saying they had “the right to supervise” how the city exercises its high degree of autonomy and “set things right”. Meanwhile, controversy continued to mount over the vacant leadership of the Legislative Council’s House Committee – the centre of the dispute – as a pro-establishment heavyweight on Thursday proclaimed herself “chairman” in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080296/mainland-bodies-have-duty-supervise-set-things-right-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080296/mainland-bodies-have-duty-supervise-set-things-right-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:07:24 +0000 Disqualified legislator “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung was injured in an attack as he protested outside Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong on Thursday. Police arrested an elderly man at the scene in connection with the attack, which happened on Connaught Road West in Sai Ying Pun shortly before 3pm. A police spokeswoman said Leung was attacked with a sharp object and injured in the waist. He was subsequently taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment and later discharged. Officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080261/ousted-lawmaker-long-hair-leung-kwok-hung-stabbed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3080261/ousted-lawmaker-long-hair-leung-kwok-hung-stabbed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:16:26 +0000 Management at Hong Kong’s Information Services Department (ISD) will hold a special meeting with senior press officers next week to discuss operations and crisis management, following the suicide of a former employee earlier this month. Amid calls to deal with “record-low workplace morale” within the department, director Rex Chang Wai-yuen broke his silence on Thursday afternoon, rejecting assertions that workload issues had been raised by the chief executive office’s team, where the deceased... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080159/hong-kong-civil-servants-death-prompts-complaints-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3080159/hong-kong-civil-servants-death-prompts-complaints-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2020 04:09:08 +0000 Hong Kong recorded four new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, including a British permanent resident who was infected in his country of birth four weeks ago, cleared to go outdoors, but then tested positive for the coronavirus upon his return to the city. The fresh cases marked a fourth straight day of single-digit increase in infections for Hong Kong, bringing the tally to 1,016. The new cases comprised three men and a woman, aged between 22 and 60. All had a recent history of travel. They had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3080043/coronavirus-hong-kong-confirms-four-new-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3080043/coronavirus-hong-kong-confirms-four-new-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2020 08:51:14 +0000 The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can produce more than three times the amount of pathogens than the strain that caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003, although patients may display less inflammatory and immune responses, a study has found. The finding from the research, led by prominent Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, is the first of its kind based on tests conducted on lung tissue removed from patients. The results underlined the virality of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3079502/coronavirus-causes-covid-19-can-produce-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3079502/coronavirus-causes-covid-19-can-produce-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2020 14:29:54 +0000 Hong Kong’s controversial mask ban should remain in effect beyond the city’s battle with Covid-19, just in case violent protests return, two senior government advisers have said, despite calls from a legal heavyweight to have the ban reviewed to avoid future legal challenges. Executive Council members Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Ip Kwok-him on Friday said it was too early to abolish the law. Their remarks came a day after the Court of Appeal overturned a lower court decision, ruling it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3079440/too-early-abandon-hong-kongs-mask-ban-government-advisers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3079440/too-early-abandon-hong-kongs-mask-ban-government-advisers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2020 12:12:32 +0000 A Hong Kong court on Thursday overturned part of an earlier ruling that found the government’s ban on masks unconstitutional, declaring the measure imposed at the height of civil unrest last year valid. But the Court of Appeal ruled that while it was constitutional for the government to ban the wearing of masks at unauthorised or illegal assemblies, the same was not true for legal demonstrations. Language in the ban granting police the authority to physically remove masks was also... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3079197/hong-kong-mask-ban-legal-when-aimed-unauthorised?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3079197/hong-kong-mask-ban-legal-when-aimed-unauthorised?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2020 07:53:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s professional body for barristers will investigate if a former government prosecutor has breached its code of conduct, after she allegedly attacked local judges for siding with anti-government protesters on her personal Facebook account. Legal sources said the Bar Association had launched an inquiry against barrister Vivien Chan Man-wai after an opposition politician filed complaints about her. An investigator from the association’s standing committee on discipline will be appointed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3079048/hong-kong-bar-association-looking-whether-former-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3079048/hong-kong-bar-association-looking-whether-former-government?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2020 12:34:27 +0000 Hong Kong’s embattled government will know on Thursday the outcome of its appeal to uphold a controversial ban on masks, which was introduced at the height of the civil unrest last year but later ruled unconstitutional by the court. Legal experts, however, have called for a full withdrawal of the law, invoked under colonial-era legislation in October, regardless of the appeal outcome, amid the coronavirus crisis. The Court of Appeal’s ruling, set for 3.30pm, underscores what critics see as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078851/remember-mask-ban-what-happens-if-hong-kong-court-upholds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078851/remember-mask-ban-what-happens-if-hong-kong-court-upholds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2020 23:30:19 +0000 Hong Kong’s opposition camp has vowed to win four key seats seen as pro-establishment strongholds in September’s legislative election, to secure its first majority in the chamber since the 1997 handover and force the government into delivering democratic reforms. In their bid to take control of the Legislative Council, pro-democracy politicians have urged voters to register in the functional constituencies of engineering, catering, retail and architecture – where they have not won in more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078524/hong-kongs-opposition-targets-legislative-council-seats-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078524/hong-kongs-opposition-targets-legislative-council-seats-it?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:15:25 +0000 Hong Kong may have to impose a lockdown for several weeks that closes all non-essential businesses and largely confines people to their homes, a senior government adviser has said as a top epidemiologist warned of a “third wave” of coronavirus infections. The threat of stricter curbs came as the mother of a six-week-old boy, previously testing positive, was among 28 new cases on Sunday taking the city’s total to 890. Hong Kong records 28 new infections, taking total to 890 The baby was confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078491/coronavirus-hong-kong-may-have-impose-wider-lockdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078491/coronavirus-hong-kong-may-have-impose-wider-lockdown?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2020 06:53:23 +0000 Two independent experts appointed by the United Nations have accused Hong Kong police of firing tear gas at anti-government protesters last year in an “uncontrolled and allegedly malicious manner”. The two UN special rapporteurs made public their letter to the Chinese delegation on Monday, after sending their inquiries to the Chinese delegation at an assembly 60 days ago on January 29. The pair claimed they were ignored by both governments. But Hong Kong authorities said they did provide a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078182/hong-kong-police-fired-tear-gas-anti-government-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078182/hong-kong-police-fired-tear-gas-anti-government-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 23:00:21 +0000 Forty-two civil servants in Hong Kong have been suspended after they were arrested for taking part in protests, even with “no guilt presumed” and legal proceedings under way, according to the government. The Civil Service Bureau said it was also “actively studying” if all employees should swear allegiance to the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. The bureau revealed the figures in written replies to pro-establishment lawmakers Junius Ho Kwan-yiu and Starry Lee Wai-king, who filed questions... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078151/42-hong-kong-civil-servants-suspended-over-protest-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3078151/42-hong-kong-civil-servants-suspended-over-protest-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 10:09:32 +0000 The first four chartered flights to bring Hongkongers back from one of the epicentres of the coronavirus pandemic cost taxpayers about HK$7.4 million (US$950,000), officials have revealed. The sum, disclosed in a government reply to lawmakers about the latest budget spending on Wednesday, means an average cost of HK$15,770 for each of the 469 evacuees aboard the flights from Hubei province. The paper also revealed that the Immigration Department spent another HK$17,000 on the operation. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3078021/coronavirus-four-rescue-flights-hubei-province?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3078021/coronavirus-four-rescue-flights-hubei-province?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2020 23:00:22 +0000 Lawyers in Hong Kong want to be included in any financial relief or subsidies from the government, saying they have also been badly hit by the coronavirus epidemic. The city’s Bar Association wrote to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Tuesday and urged officials to include the self-employed, including barristers, in a proposed second round of funding, worth tens of billions of dollars. In the letter, the association noted that the city’s justice system and court business had “suddenly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3077931/coronavirus-hong-kong-lawyers-want-government-handout-citys-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3077931/coronavirus-hong-kong-lawyers-want-government-handout-citys-court?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2020 07:54:45 +0000 Hong Kong could discharge recovering Covid-19 patients to make better use of isolation wards that are nearing full capacity, the city’s leader said on Tuesday, as it was revealed that at least another 60 people had tested preliminary positive for the coronavirus. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also announced the government would hand out tens of billions of dollars to help those suffering during the public health crisis in a second round of relief measures. And Lam appealed to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3077702/coronavirus-least-60-more-test-positive-covid-19-hong-kong-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3077702/coronavirus-least-60-more-test-positive-covid-19-hong-kong-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2020 05:39:36 +0000 Hong Kong authorities are investigating the possibility of using chartered flights to bring home city residents stranded in Peru and Morocco amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Post has learned. The news follows Friday’s revelation that a 64-year-old man from Hong Kong infected with the virus had been found dead in his hostel in Peru’s Cusco region. As of Monday, the Immigration Department had received 89 assistance requests from Hong Kong residents in Peru, including 30 tour group members. Five... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077543/coronavirus-hong-kong-eyes-chartered-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077543/coronavirus-hong-kong-eyes-chartered-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2020 06:31:56 +0000 A Hong Kong tourist has died in Peru after contracting Covid-19. Peru’s health ministry announced the death of the 64-year-old man on its website on Saturday, local time. “A man aged 64 from Hong Kong was infected with Covid-19. He was found dead at his address in the region of Cusco at 3.20pm on March 27,” the ministry said. The Chinese embassy in Peru confirmed that a visitor from Hong Kong had contracted the coronavirus and died of a cardiac arrest triggered by the disease. The man had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077440/coronavirus-hong-kong-tourist-dies-covid-19-peru?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077440/coronavirus-hong-kong-tourist-dies-covid-19-peru?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2020 06:59:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s health minister has said that new regulations on social distancing may be repealed only after they become a “habit”, as she warned of further restrictions, such as on karaoke bars and mahjong parlours. No prosecution or penalty notice had been made as of Sunday noon, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said, as she reiterated her call for citizens to exercise self-restraint and avoid public gatherings, adding that authorities were counting on compliance rather than... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077434/coronavirus-new-social-distancing-law-may-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3077434/coronavirus-new-social-distancing-law-may-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2020 05:54:28 +0000 An opposition politician was arrested under the colonial-era offence of sedition early on Thursday morning, over an online post which criticised a police officer who shot a journalist, and called for “an eye for an eye”. The force was also investigating whether Cheng Lai-king, who chairs Central and Western District Council, breached a court injunction banning the doxxing of officers and their families. Meanwhile, Cheng’s party colleagues decried what they said was an act of revenge over her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3077029/hong-kong-opposition-politician-arrested-alleged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3077029/hong-kong-opposition-politician-arrested-alleged?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 02:20:12 +0000 A proposal by Hong Kong’s leader to ban bars and restaurants from selling alcohol to limit the spread of the coronavirus has gotten off to a rocky start, with industry figures ready to challenge the move in court and experts noting the law already allows her to immediately impose such restrictions. But Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor instead decided to float the idea first as a warning to owners to take steps on their own to curb social gatherings, according to government insiders, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3076996/coronavirus-hong-kong-leaders-proposal-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3076996/coronavirus-hong-kong-leaders-proposal-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2020 01:30:12 +0000