https://www.scmp.com/rss/725/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Former government No 2 Anson Chan Fang On-sang had some pointed words about the current incumbent, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, saying Lam appeared upset at the way the government's political reform package had been rolled out but was stuck "between a rock and a hard place". Chan said she would probably have quit if she were Lam. Her comments to students and academics at the University of Cambridge in England on Monday came two years after she suggested that Lam, whom she had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1778629/anson-chan-unhappy-carrie-lam-i-probably-would-have-departed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1778629/anson-chan-unhappy-carrie-lam-i-probably-would-have-departed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2015 04:45:15 +0000 The Alliance for True Democracy will push for the chief executive poll nominating committee to be elected by all Hong Kong voters in 2017, sources say. The alliance, comprising all 27 pro-democracy legislators and other pan-democratic groups, plans to unveil its draft consensus on Wednesday. It also wants the number of nominations a candidate can file to be capped at one-sixth of the nominating committee members, sources said. It is understood that the alliance has yet to discuss the ideal size... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231002/push-one-man-one-vote-elect-committee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1231002/push-one-man-one-vote-elect-committee?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A police report has been made about possible interference with lifts in the Legislative Council building that may have delayed lawmakers returning to the chamber for quorum calls. Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing said the Legco Commission asked the secretariat to take the case to police after videos showed several people pressing all the lift buttons on eight occasions on April 25 when quorums were called during a debate on the budget. At least half of the 70 lawmakers have to return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229537/police-probe-legco-building-lift-pranks-during-quorum-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229537/police-probe-legco-building-lift-pranks-during-quorum-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The legislature approved a controversial HK$100 million government donation to official Sichuan earthquake relief efforts yesterday, despite earlier worries over a possible filibuster. In a 37-23 vote, with pan-democrat Dr Joseph Lee Kok-long abstaining and with the support of pro-establishment lawmakers, the proposal was approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee after an almost two-hour debate. The debate resumed yesterday after discussions last week failed to reach a vote. All 14... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229296/legco-approves-hk100m-sichuan-quake-donation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1229296/legco-approves-hk100m-sichuan-quake-donation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2013 09:41:43 +0000 The scandal surrounding former head graft-buster Timothy Tong Hin-ming should be investigated by the police, not the Independent Commission Against Corruption, to ensure impartiality, a former prosecutions chief says. The call from former director of public prosecutions Grenville Cross came amid suggestions the ICAC had yet to decide how to handle the recent complaints against Tong. Tong, appointed in February as a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member after stepping down as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227910/icac-urged-hand-over-former-chiefs-case-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227910/icac-urged-hand-over-former-chiefs-case-police?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Support from an eighth of nominating committee members could be a possible threshold for aspirants to enter the chief executive election under universal suffrage, Elsie Leung Oi-sie says. Pan-democrats have suggested retaining for the 2017 chief executive election, the first under universal suffrage, the one-eighth threshold used for last year's election. Leung, vice-chairwoman of the national legislature's Basic Law Committee, also said making it a legal requirement that candidates "love the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227138/elsie-leung-suggests-threshold-hong-kongs-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1227138/elsie-leung-suggests-threshold-hong-kongs-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Legislators are calling on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to appoint a commission of inquiry over a former ICAC commissioner's extravagant spending on meals and gifts. The idea, raised by Liberal Party honorary chairman James Tien Pei-chun yesterday, earned the support of lawmakers from across the political spectrum. It could be an alternative to a pan-democrat suggestion to make Timothy Tong Hin-ming face a grilling in front of the Legislative Council about his actions during his five years... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226139/leung-chun-ying-faces-calls-form-inquiry-commission-icac-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226139/leung-chun-ying-faces-calls-form-inquiry-commission-icac-row?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Filibustering over the budget bill could soon come to an end after Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing holds a closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Friday. The discussion on how to handle the remaining amendments is expected to focus on the possibility of halting the debate, some lawmakers said yesterday as the filibuster entered its fourth day with the chief executive's salary under scrutiny. "I expect [Tsang] to talk about the rules of procedure and say in advance what he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226294/legco-head-calls-meeting-budget-filibustering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1226294/legco-head-calls-meeting-budget-filibustering?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Any ICAC officer who fails to strictly comply with civil service rules should face investigation, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said yesterday, amid a meals and gifts scandal engulfing the anti-graft agency. Apparently targeting former commissioner Timothy Tong Hin-ming for the first time, Lam said that while the Independent Commission Against Corruption was independent of the government, its officers were bound by the rules on civil servants, which included the giving of gifts. "If... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225527/icac-chiefs-should-be-open-investigation-says-carrie-lam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225527/icac-chiefs-should-be-open-investigation-says-carrie-lam?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Some 500 supporters of the Occupy Central plan that demands genuine universal suffrage will rally on June 9 to discuss possible problems the movement may face, its founder said yesterday. Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate law professor and proponent of the plan, unveiled the details yesterday, as 10 more professionals from different sectors - including three businessmen - came forth to add their support. The three representatives from the business sector included hedge fund expert Edward Chin... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225429/occupy-movement-brings-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1225429/occupy-movement-brings-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former anti-graft chief Timothy Tong Hin-ming faces investigation by his former subordinates as new evidence suggests he used public money to treat officials from Beijing's liaison office. The Democratic Party's Lam Cheuk-ting, who was an investigator for the Independent Commission Against Corruption when Tong was in charge, sent a written complaint to the ICAC yesterday about Tong's alleged misconduct and possible breaches of bribery laws. Pan-democrat lawmakers will submit complaints... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223227/ex-icac-boss-faces-graft-probe-allegedly-dining-out-public-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223227/ex-icac-boss-faces-graft-probe-allegedly-dining-out-public-money?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Two suspected pranks in the lifts of the legislature building yesterday almost added to a delay in budget debates, which are just starting to be dragged out by radical lawmakers' filibustering. The plenary session could have been put off to next week, but three legislators who were held up in the lifts made it to the chamber each time to meet the quorum for the debate to go on. I have asked the secretariat to handle it seriously," Tsang said. "If the person is found to be an assistant, I hope... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223134/lift-pranks-filibusters-all-days-work-legco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1223134/lift-pranks-filibusters-all-days-work-legco?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying urged Hong Kong business leaders to boost co-operation with the mainland and Taiwan at a financial forum on Thursday. He acknowledged worries among the business community that Hong Kong might lose cross-strait trade following a trade pact between Beijing and Taipei, but he said the city could benefit as well. The Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement, implemented in 2010, reduces import tariffs between the mainland and Taiwan. If the city could think out of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222864/leung-urges-more-economic-ties-mainland-china-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222864/leung-urges-more-economic-ties-mainland-china-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:36:40 +0000 A filibustering bid on the budget bill by radical lawmakers could be halted by the middle of next month, with Legislative Council chief Jasper Tsang Yok-sing warning that he will act to ensure the legislature runs smoothly. Senior government officials also warned in letters to Tsang and secretary general Kenneth Chen Wei-on that the bill must be passed in time to avoid "public services being seriously disrupted and the public sector being rendered inoperable". The bill is facing over 200 debates... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222335/legco-boss-warns-he-may-end-budget-bill-filibuster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222335/legco-boss-warns-he-may-end-budget-bill-filibuster?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was disappointment yesterday after lawmakers failed to vote on a proposal to donate HK$100 million to the Sichuan earthquake relief effort amid concerns the funds may be misused. "I hope this will not affect the ties between Hong Kong people and mainland compatriots and lawmakers do not make a mountain out of a molehill," she said after a two-hour Finance Committee ended before all who wanted to had spoken. This came as charities raising funds for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222423/lam-regrets-filibuster-over-quake-donation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1222423/lam-regrets-filibuster-over-quake-donation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Twelve of 151 Hong Kong government-led reconstruction projects initiated in the wake of the Wenchuan earthquake are still unfinished five years on. Another 28 construction projects funded by Hong Kong taxpayers and managed by non-governmental groups have been completed. But a HK$4 million secondary school in Mianyang, half funded by the Hong Kong government and half by an education group, was found last year to have been redeveloped into a plaza without the city's consent. The Mianyang Bauhinia... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221739/hong-kong-sponsored-projects-2008-wenchuan-quake-still-unfinished?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221739/hong-kong-sponsored-projects-2008-wenchuan-quake-still-unfinished?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A fierce debate is expected in the Legislative Council today over the use of a HK$100 million donation to help Sichuan earthquake victims, with radical pan-democrats threatening to block approval with a filibuster. Some people fear that the donation, proposed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, could fall into the hands of corrupt mainland officials. Last night, major parties in the pro-democracy camp said they would oppose any suggestions of government-to-government donations in a special... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221764/radical-legislators-threaten-block-approval-hk100m-quake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1221764/radical-legislators-threaten-block-approval-hk100m-quake-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 More than 4,000 Hongkongers call private hostels for disabled people home. They're a place of safety, bringing together people with special needs who may struggle in the community. "I have never thought of moving out," says one 52-year-old for whom a care home provides a safe place to live while she copes with mental illness. "I share a room with my mother … It's nice," she says as she sits under fruit trees in the front yard of a two-storey country home. She and her 85-year-old mother have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220902/new-rules-will-force-private-hostels-disabled-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220902/new-rules-will-force-private-hostels-disabled-close?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 More than 50 disabled people could find themselves without a home or adapting to life in a new hostel by mid-year as tough new care home regulations take hold. And about one third of the city's 78 private care homes for the disabled could face closure in a year's time under new licensing rules, operators warned. The latest government figures showed that more than 50 people living in eight private hostels were under immediate threat and would have to find new homes as their institutions had yet... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220827/tighter-regulations-will-force-hong-kongs-smaller-care-homes-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220827/tighter-regulations-will-force-hong-kongs-smaller-care-homes-close?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Political veteran Elsie Tu laments the widening income disparity in Hong Kong and has taken a shot at tycoons who have no conscience. The former lawmaker and urban councillor, who turns 100 on June 2, became emotional when expressing sympathy for striking dock workers and anger with a billionaire, whom she declined to name. "I think shame on you. Why should you have [billions of dollars] when the poor can't even buy meat for their children's food?" she said. "How could you have [billions of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220175/hong-kong-political-veteran-elsie-tu-criticises-tycoons-no-conscience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220175/hong-kong-political-veteran-elsie-tu-criticises-tycoons-no-conscience?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Working out regularly from a young age is the secret of longevity for former urban councillor Elsie Tu, who is allowed to take it rather more easily now as she approaches her 100th birthday. On June 2, Tu will become a centenarian and now needs a walker to move around the home and a wheelchair when she heads out. But her mind remains active and engaged - as her defence of the striking dockers demonstrates. "Exercising has kept me healthy," she said "I've been very active in my life. I was a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220095/secrets-strength-elsie-tu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1220095/secrets-strength-elsie-tu?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 An official US report on human rights in Hong Kong has drawn attention to local concerns over freedom of assembly and claims that police are turning to aggressive, abusive tactics. Police Commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung yesterday rejected those accusations as unfounded. The report, compiled by the US State Department and sent to Congress, looks at human rights around the world. On Hong Kong, the report stated that while the government "generally respected" the rights of freedom of assembly in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1219491/hong-kong-police-chief-rejects-claims-us-report-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1219491/hong-kong-police-chief-rejects-claims-us-report-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The 26-year-old vice-chairman of the Civic Party's Kowloon East branch was found hanged in Tai Po yesterday, five days after he went missing. The party expressed shock and grief at the death of Eric Tsui Kwok-fung. He had joined the party in 2007 and been active in its youth wing, Youth Civics. Police found his body at about 2pm on a slope near Villa Castell, Tai Po Road, after a search. Tsui had worked as a teaching assistant at Buddhist Hung Sean Chau Memorial College in Wong Tai Sin. Kowloon... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1219441/missing-civic-party-activist-eric-tsui-found-hanged-many-grieve-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1219441/missing-civic-party-activist-eric-tsui-found-hanged-many-grieve-his?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 An academic behind a plan to block roads in Central to fight for democracy said it remained to be seen whether organisers can reach a consensus with another pan-democratic alliance on demands for the 2017 chief executive election reform. University of Hong Kong associate law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting offered more details about his timetable for the plan at a street forum in Mong Kok yesterday. "I will meet the Alliance for True Democracy … I believe it will take some time to see whether we... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1214699/activist-puts-out-occupy-central-action-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1214699/activist-puts-out-occupy-central-action-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Lawmakers yesterday examined the expenses of the former head of the graft-busting agency, Timothy Tong Hin-ming, whose duty visits amounted to triple of what his predecessors spent. Tong, who made frequent visits to the mainland while serving as commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption from 2007 to 2012, was this year appointed a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At a special meeting of the Finance Committee yesterday, legal-sector lawmaker... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210976/duty-visits-ex-icac-chief-put-under-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210976/duty-visits-ex-icac-chief-put-under-spotlight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Seven out of every 10 people are not supportive of a planned blockade of Central roads to demand genuine universal suffrage, a Beijing-loyalist party has found in a poll. Slightly smaller proportions of poll respondents feared the Occupy Central movement would result in huge economic losses to the city or spark fierce clashes, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said yesterday. Only 21.9 per cent backed the plan, it found. "If we want something to be done in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210923/70pc-frown-occupy-central-plan-dab-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210923/70pc-frown-occupy-central-plan-dab-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A prominent academic, Horace Chin Wan-kan, has cautioned next year's Occupy Central plan lacks the "power to frighten" Beijing in talks over universal suffrage. Dr Chin, an assistant professor of Chinese language at Lingnan University and a backer of the Hong Kong City-State Autonomy Movement, said the "non-violent" road blockade was the wrong approach to take. "It lacks the power to frighten … Nor will it increase bargaining power in talks with Beijing," Chin said. [Occupy Central] lacks the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210220/occupy-central-plan-wont-frighten-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1210220/occupy-central-plan-wont-frighten-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang has weighed in on the universal suffrage issue, taking a conciliatory and pragmatic tone in the heated debate. It was not unreasonable for Beijing to expect Hong Kong's chief executive not to challenge China's one-party rule, she said at a Community College of City University seminar yesterday. She added that surely Hongkongers did not want to see the leader they elected under universal suffrage unable to co-operate with the central... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1208125/anson-chan-weighs-heated-debate-over-universal-suffrage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1208125/anson-chan-weighs-heated-debate-over-universal-suffrage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Web hosts to censors: we mean no harm With mainland internet censors always on the ball, even "Beijing-friendly" websites may be blocked from users' access. Basic Law Committee member Lau Nai-keung said an educational website, gcyouth.net/new that he helped host had been blocked for years on the mainland until recently. "After negotiating with many parties, we were finally unblocked after the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference sessions [last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1206475/all-around-town-april-4-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1206475/all-around-town-april-4-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Executive councillor Bernard Chan has urged the government to reveal how much a universal pension scheme would cost taxpayers, a move he says is needed to assist public debate. Chan, who chairs the Council of Social Service, said the authorities should ask people how much extra they would be prepared to pay for different levels of pensions for retirees. "How much would we, as taxpayers, be willing to pay?" he asked, adding that without this question discussion of such a scheme would be "empty... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204954/theres-no-free-lunch-says-chan-universal-pension?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204954/theres-no-free-lunch-says-chan-universal-pension?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Pan-democrats and legal experts have called into question the credibility of a Basic Law heavyweight after she allegedly "twisted facts" regarding people's political rights guaranteed in an international covenant. Maria Tam Wai-chu, local head of delegation to the National People's Congress and a Basic Law Committee member, said on two occasions yesterday that the rights to stand for election and to nominate were not covered in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provision... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204187/basic-law-expert-accused-twisting-facts-voting-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204187/basic-law-expert-accused-twisting-facts-voting-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Playing the role of Beijing's messenger is probably one of the trickiest tasks that Hong Kong politicians face. As mainland officials rarely comment publicly on the city's issues under the "one country, two systems" principle, the central government's messages to the administration are often delivered behind closed doors. As a result, the media has to rely heavily on the messenger - usually a pro-establishment figure - to shed light on Beijing's views on Hong Kong matters. But sometimes, like in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204178/citys-politicians-play-tough-game-pass-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204178/citys-politicians-play-tough-game-pass-message?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Veteran Basic Law Committee member Maria Tam Wai-chu yesterday weighed in on the debate over how universal suffrage should be implemented in 2017, saying an interpretation of the Basic Law by Beijing could be the last option. Speaking on a television talk show, the head of the Hong Kong delegation to the National People's Congress dismissed a UN Human Rights Committee's report on Hong Kong. The report expressed concern at the "lack of a clear plan to institute universal suffrage" and possible... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204078/beijing-loyalist-maria-tam-says-right-be-elected-not-universal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1204078/beijing-loyalist-maria-tam-says-right-be-elected-not-universal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2013 12:25:43 +0000 The Beijing official whose remarks at the weekend sparked fears that pan-democrats would be screened out of the chief executive election in 2017 cited a Hong Kong newspaper's commentary to illustrate his case. National People's Congress Law Committee chairman Qiao Xiaoyang referred to an article in the Hong Kong Economic Journal which he said illustrated how it would be "illogical" for someone confrontational to the central government to take the top job under the "one country, two systems"... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1201278/illogical-foe-beijing-be-chief-executive-qiao-xiaoyang-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1201278/illogical-foe-beijing-be-chief-executive-qiao-xiaoyang-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Consultation on electoral reform should not begin until most Hongkongers agree that those who confront the central government should not rule the city, a top Beijing official has said. The remark by Qiao Xiaoyang, chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, came amid criticism by pan-democrats of the city's government for delaying public consultation on the 2017 chief executive election. A full transcript of a speech Qiao made on Sunday was uploaded to the website of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1201373/no-consultation-political-reform-until-conditions-met-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1201373/no-consultation-political-reform-until-conditions-met-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Executive Councillor Bernard Chan conceded yesterday that it would be difficult for a pro-establishment candidate to win the 2017 chief executive race with a proper mandate should Beijing put too many obstacles in the way of pan-democrats joining the first election under universal suffrage. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, he nevertheless expressed confidence that Hongkongers would not elect a leader who was unable to communicate with Beijing. Chan, himself seen as a possible... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1200591/bernard-chan-says-2017-election-may-require-leap-faith-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1200591/bernard-chan-says-2017-election-may-require-leap-faith-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying confessed yesterday to phoning Beijing about a new stamp duty to be levied on non-local homebuyers in Hong Kong ahead of announcing the tax. He said he was "notifying" Wang Guangya , director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the State Council, for the sake of "internal and external diplomacy" and denied he was seeking approval. His admission came two days after Wang was cited by lawmakers as saying Leung had called to inform him of the new 15 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1200184/cy-leung-notified-beijing-unveiling-stamp-duty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1200184/cy-leung-notified-beijing-unveiling-stamp-duty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2013 06:52:04 +0000 A law academic has warned that the National People's Congress Standing Committee might limit Hong Kong's rights to elect its chief executive by universal suffrage despite the assurances contained in the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution. Eric Cheung Tat-ming, assistant law professor at the University of Hong Kong, made the observation a day after Qiao Xiaoyang, chairman of the NPC Law Committee, said it reserved the right to veto the election of any chief executive of whom it did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199722/npc-may-limit-hong-kongs-right-elect-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199722/npc-may-limit-hong-kongs-right-elect-chief-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Defeated pan-democratic chief-executive candidate Albert Ho Chun-yan, along with the pro-democracy camp, slammed Beijing for "screening out" from ruling the city those whom they consider as "confronting the central government". The barrage of criticism came after National People's Congress Law Committee chairman Qiao Xiaoyang was cited by a lawmaker who attended yesterday's closed-door meeting in Shenzhen. It was reported that Qiao said those who called for overthrowing the Communist Party could... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199035/pan-democrats-fear-party-screening-after-shenzhen-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199035/pan-democrats-fear-party-screening-after-shenzhen-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A mainland official who oversees Hong Kong affairs says Hongkongers prefer not to see the city being "messed up" when asked about a law academic's proposal to block roads in Central district. Wang Guangya, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, made the remarks in Shenzhen before meeting yesterday with a group of lawmakers loyal to Beijing. "I think Hong Kong compatriots don't want to see Hong Kong being messed up. Hong Kong needs development," Wang said when asked if he believed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199036/occupy-central-plan-gets-hong-kong-affairs-chiefs-thumbs-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1199036/occupy-central-plan-gets-hong-kong-affairs-chiefs-thumbs-down?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Roy Tang Yun-kwong, the RTHK chief at the centre of a politically charged row, could have seen it coming on his first day on the job. In September 2011, Tang, a veteran civil servant seen as a rising star among administrative officers, was greeted by a black carpet and protesters at the broadcaster's Kowloon Tong offices. The show of discontent from the staff association was aimed at the government's decision to appoint an administrative officer, seen as a media novice, to rule RTHK instead of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198924/rough-and-tumble-going-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198924/rough-and-tumble-going-air?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A top mainland official yesterday set the tone for the debate over Hong Kong's political reform by declaring that any members from the opposition camp who insist on confronting the central government cannot become the city's chief executive. Despite declaring Beijing's "unswerving" commitment to universal suffrage by 2017, Qiao Xiaoyang, chairman of the Law Committee under the National People's Congress, also dropped the most significant hint so far about a screening mechanism being introduced... https://www.scmp.com/article/1199015/opposition-camp-members-cant-run-chief-executive-says-npc-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1199015/opposition-camp-members-cant-run-chief-executive-says-npc-official?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:03:27 +0000 The city's chief executive must be a person who loves the country and Hong Kong to ensure good governance, but it is not necessary to set out this criterion in law, a Beijing-loyalist heavyweight says. Elsie Leung Oi-sie, a deputy director of the Basic Law Committee, said the chief executive would not care about the betterment of the city if he did not love his homeland. "We will not stipulate it in law. But we all know that one must love the nation and Hong Kong in order to govern Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1195650/patriotism-need-not-be-laid-out-law-elsie-leung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1195650/patriotism-need-not-be-laid-out-law-elsie-leung?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's medical industry should not rely on the "doomed" business of treating mainland mothers-to-be, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has warned. The city's chief executive was addressing how the zero-tolerance policy for expectant mainland mothers in Hong Kong's maternity wards could affect the city's obstetrics industry. Yesterday marked the first time he had done so since the ban came into effect in January. "If the medical industry cannot be developed without the clientele of babies born... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1193158/dont-bank-trade-mainland-chinese-mothers-cy-warns-medics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1193158/dont-bank-trade-mainland-chinese-mothers-cy-warns-medics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 President Xi Jinping, in his first open speech as head of state, appealed to Hongkongers to uphold the interests of the nation and the city. "Compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions should put emphasis on the country, Hong Kong and Macau's overall interest," Xi told delegates at the closing session of the National People's Congress in Beijing yesterday. "[This is] so as to safeguard and foster the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau," he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1193272/message-xi-hong-kong-think-national-interest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1193272/message-xi-hong-kong-think-national-interest?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 "Hong Kong was called a shopping paradise. I would say it's a shopping hell now." So says Raye Long, from Guangzhou, of buying infant formula for her 18-month-old son. She is frustrated by the city's new limit on exports of baby milk powder, introduced to crack down on parallel-goods traders and protect local consumers. The latest restriction reflects the tip of the iceberg. A plethora of issues bring mainland and Hong Kong residents into conflict - a problem for governments on both sides of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1192467/milk-powder-row-symptom-wider-rift-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1192467/milk-powder-row-symptom-wider-rift-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Tsang the retiree keeps company with the birds He may have forgone a luxurious 6,500 sq ft Shenzhen penthouse in a conflict-of-interest row last year, but the city's former chief says he can still enjoy his retirement - with a little help from the birds. In an interview with Elle Men, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who now lives mainly across the border, has taken up bird-watching and photography in the wetlands. "Bird-watching requires patience and knowledge. You need to wait quietly and withstand... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1190043/all-around-town-march-14-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1190043/all-around-town-march-14-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen yesterday urged the government to launch a consultation by October on arrangements for choosing Hong Kong's next leader by universal suffrage. Tang's remarks came as Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the government would start the consultation at a "suitable time", without giving a timetable. Tang warned that the government had no time to waste in preparing for the Legislative Council elections in 2016 and chief executive poll in 2017. The government... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1189224/henry-tang-calls-public-consultation-ce-election-october?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1189224/henry-tang-calls-public-consultation-ce-election-october?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:34:51 +0000 A Basic Law Committee heavyweight has dismissed suggestions that holding a primary poll for the 2017 chief executive race would be a regressive move. Elsie Leung Oi-sie, deputy director of the Hong Kong Basic Law Committee and a National People's Congress (NPC) deputy, made the remarks in Beijing after Ming Pao newspaper cited a source saying a primary may be held for the next leadership race. In response to the report, pan-democratic lawmakers Emily Lau Wai-hing and Kenneth Chan Ka-lok said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1187799/heavyweight-elsie-leung-defends-idea-primary-race-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1187799/heavyweight-elsie-leung-defends-idea-primary-race-top-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 There is no "silver bullet" for all the problems facing the city, including that of an ageing population, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah has warned. Tsang, who defended his budget on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong, warned that giving out sweeteners as relief measures should not be a permanent feature of the budget. "There is no one 'silver bullet' that will solve all the problems at hand. There is simply no magic solution. An ageing population will impact on all areas of government and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1187808/no-magic-solution-ageing-citys-financial-problems-john-tsang-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1187808/no-magic-solution-ageing-citys-financial-problems-john-tsang-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000