Paul Lam in pledge to fast-track law reform

James Lee

The administration will speed up work to amend ordinances - including the Official Secrets and the Crimes ordinances - that have been deemed no longer applicable 25 years after the city's handover, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said yesterday as he warned of escalating "attacks" from the West on Hong Kong's judicial system.

Writing in state-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao, Lam said the Department of Justice and relevant policy bureaus have identified over 70 pieces of outdated legislation to be adapted to comply with the Basic Law.

Citing President Xi Jinping, the legislative review would be conducted by "upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground," Lam said.

"It has been 25 years since Hong Kong's handover but there are still some outdated and inapplicable laws that haven't been amended before the return," Lam said.

Those 70 laws will be the subject of a systematic review focusing on the adaptation and consolidation of laws and the repeal of obsolete laws, a department spokesman said.

Among these are seven pieces of legislation under the Crimes and the Official Secrets ordinances intended to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, according to a Legislative Council paper published last month.

The legal revisions to implement Article 23 - the SAR's own national security legislation - would come amid a spate of attacks from Western forces on Hong Kong's legal system, Lam said.

He said authorities will approach the adaptation work by "resolving simple issues before complex ones," aiming to amend a portion of the laws within this year.

The amendment process for at least two pieces of legislation was to have commenced last year, while 22 pieces of legislation are considered more complex, with the adaptation process pending further resolution.

Lam said these developments in the judicial system are especially significant as they come amid a new stage of "advancing from stability to prosperity" as people return to their daily lives.

"The fact that Hong Kong has entered a new stage of governance and rejuvenation does not mean that national security risks have disappeared," he said. "On the contrary, the risks may be harder to detect."

Lam warned of national security risks in the form of "escalating attacks" from the Western media and politicians.

"They have made repeated attempts to slander Hong Kong's laws and judicial system and have even maliciously attacked court rulings," he said, adding that the administration must strengthen its defense to "welcome" and prepare for such attacks.

"We must not think these malicious acts will peter out," he said. "Instead, we must prepare for possible intensified attacks, especially when there will be a number of key national security cases this year.

"We must strengthen our defenses and retaliate, both internally and externally."

He added that the administration would have to deal with several challenges this year, including the interpretation of the national security law by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

To address misconceptions about the actual state of rule of law in Hong Kong, Lam said the administration will prepare visits to European and Southeast Asian countries this year:

"True and good stories will be told about the city's legal system. I plan to visit international legal organizations in Europe in the spring and promote Hong Kong's legal services in Southeast Asia."

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com