Politics

An alleged traffic offence involving a Hong Kong lawmaker has sparked a fiery exchange between a veteran of the city’s biggest party and political heavyweight Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who defended her protege and was accused of double standards.New People’s Party chairwoman Ip, convenor of the government’s key decision-making body Executive Council, reportedly snapped at former lawmaker Choy So-yuk, questioning whether her Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), was exploiting the incident for revenge.Judy Chan leaves Traffic Police Hong Kong Island after giving a statement. Photo: Edmond SoThe storm centred on Ip’s party colleague and lawmaker Judy Chan Kapui, who was seen driving against traffic last Friday.According to WhatsApp group chat screen grabs seen ...

Hong Kong lawmaker Judy Chan Kapui has apologised again for driving along a road in the wrong direction, saying that she will accept any legal consequences and refrain from getting behind the wheel for the time being.“I made a rash decision in haste at the time. I am willing to bear any legal consequences. I will also reach out to police to provide details of what happened to assist in their investigation,” she told a radio programme on Saturday.Chan, 45, confirmed the night before that she was the driver of the vehicle in a viral video circulating on social media that shows a black car driving along Jaffe Road in the wrong direction, with three fire engines parked ahead.The New People’s Party lawmaker said on Saturday that she would refrain from driving for a period of time, starting this...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has called on the city to improve its executive-led governance model, arguing that the legislative and judicial branches should support the government rather than undermine each other, as they all perform “on the same stage”.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on Monday warned against any attempts by foreign and disruptive forces to promote the idea of a separation of powers, arguing such views undermined the authority of the local and central governments.Following Xia’s remarks, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to improve government efficiency and implement an accountability system for principal officials. He said it was the “primary responsibility” of authorities to govern Hong Kong.In the morning, Lee and his ca...

Hong Kong police are following up on an alleged traffic offence involving lawmaker Judy Chan Kapui, who was filmed driving against the flow of traffic in Wan Chai on Friday.Chan confirmed on Friday night that she was the driver of the car in a viral video circulating on social media and apologised for her actions in an interview with the Post, hours after the clip was posted online.“I sincerely apologise for my actions,” Chan said. “This has significantly affected my public image.”The video shows a black car driving along Jaffe Road in the opposite direction of traffic with three fire engines up ahead.Chan said that she was driving to a meeting in Wan Chai around 8am and intended to park in a visitor space at the Everbright Centre car park.Lawmaker Judy Chan. Photo: Karma LoHowever, she sa...

Hong Kong looks to reform sexual offence laws

Any potential Hong Kong cabinet reshuffle will take place only after the investigation into the deadly Tai Po blaze wraps up, sources have told the Post, following a media report suggesting two ministers were set to step down.A government spokesman on Thursday did not deny the report suggesting that Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai would step down “in the near future”, adding only that the administration would not comment on “speculative reports”.In response to the rumours, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told his cabinet in a meeting on Thursday morning that any move to replace ministers had to be “based on facts” and deferred until the completion of the investigation into the Wang Fuk Court fire last Nove...

Hong Kong authorities have condemned a resolution strongly backed by the European Parliament to sanction officials and revoke the city’s special trade status to protest against former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s conviction in a national security trial.The city government on Thursday evening also condemned the body for making “groundless accusations” against Hong Kong and using Lai’s case to smear its national security legislation.“The Hong Kong government strongly urges the European Parliament to get a clear understanding of the facts as soon as possible and turn back from its wrong path,” a spokesman said.Earlier on Thursday, 503 parliament members voted in favour of the non-binding resolution at a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, with only nine voting against it. There were 10...

Hong Kong delegates to China’s top political advisory body are a “steadfast patriotic force” and make an important contribution to the city’s long-term prosperity and stability, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said.The city leader praised the delegates of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Wednesday as he hosted Jiang Zuojun, vice-chairman of the body’s 14th National Committee, at Government House.The meeting took place less than two months before the fourth annual sessions of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body. The sessions will begin on March 4 and 5, respectively.Chief Executive John Lee (right) meets Jiang Zuojun, vice-chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese Pe...

European lawmakers have renewed their calls for the bloc’s executive arm to revoke Hong Kong’s special trade status, and to sanction the city’s chief executive and officials to protest against the conviction of former media boss Jimmy Lai on national security charges.During the debate in the European Parliament on Thursday, Hong Kong time, some MEPs stressed the importance of the EU taking concrete measures in response to the verdict, following a non-binding motion passed in the wake of an earlier national security trial that failed to prompt any action.Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid, could face life imprisonment as he awaits sentencing after being convicted last month of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspirac...

Hong Kong’s rule of law is “more robust and enduring than the outcome of any single case”, the city’s chief justice has declared after former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty in a landmark national security case that drew international scrutiny and criticism.In his speech at a ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year on Monday, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung warned that any calls for the early release of a defendant based on his occupation or political causes were a strike on the city’s rule of law, and that any threat of sanctions against judges had “absolutely no place in a civilised society”.At a press briefing after the ceremony, Cheung also weighed in on the appointment of overseas judges to the city’s top court, noting that many were willing to serve but fo...