Laws needed for co-location: Albert Chen

(CHINADAILY)AlbertChenHung-yee,amemberoftheHKSARBasicLawCommittee,saysHongKongandthemainlandmayhavetoenactlawstoimplementco-locationofimmigrationfacilitiesattheWestKowloonTerminusofthehigh-speedraillink.

Chen,whoisalsoalawprofessorattheUniversityofHongKong,toldChinaDailyinanexclusiveinterviewthattheco-locationarrangementisconvenienttocommutersandlegallyworkable.

Hesaidpeopleshouldnotworrythatthe“OneCountry,TwoSystems”principlewouldbecompromised,astheoppositioncampclaimed.Similarco-locationarrangementsareinforceinforeigncountries-andalsoatShenzhenBayControlPointbetweenHongKongandShenzhen.NobodyopposedtheShenzhenBaymodelin2006,Chenadded.

HesaidtheoppositionshouldnotbundletheHK$19.6billionsupplementaryfundingforconstructionofGuangzhou-Shenzhen-HongKongExpressRailLinkwiththeco-locationissue,asthesetwoissuescouldbedealtwithseparately.

TheadditionalfundingwasapprovedbytheLegislativeCouncilFinanceCommitteelastweek.

RecentlyinBeijing,RaoGeping,amainlandmemberoftheBasicLawCommittee,saidthattoimplementco-location,HongKongandmainlandauthoritiesneededtoreachanagreement,whichcouldbeendorsedbytheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople’sCongress-thecountry’shighestlegislature.

RaoalsosaidtherewasnoneedtoincludemorenationallawsinAnnexIIIoftheBasicLaw.TheannexstipulateswhichnationallawsareapplicabletoHongKong.

ReferringtoRao’sproposal,Chensaiditcouldnotsolvetheproblemcompletely.HesaiditwasnecessaryforHongKongtoenactalaw,orforboththeSARandthemainlandtoenactlaws,toimplementco-locationoffacilitiesinHongKong.

“Itis(safer)tomakelawsinbothplacesbecausetheHongKonglegislationalonecannotdecideiflocalcourtshavejurisdictionoverthemainlandofficersperformingdutiesinHongKong,”Chensaid.

HesaidthatunderHongKonglegislation,thepowersofmainlandofficersperformingimmigration,customsandquarantinedutiesindesignatedareasoftheWestKowloonTerminuswouldbespecified.

TheofficersshouldnothavethepowerofarrestinHongKongalthoughtheycanrepatriatepersonswhoarerefusedentryintothecity.Incasethosepersonsapplyforhabeascorpus,HongKongcourtsshallhavethepowertoacceptorrejecttheapplication,Chenadded.

Atthesametime,amainlandlawwillbeenactedtospelloutwhichtypesofconductofthemainlandofficersarewithinthejurisdictionofcourtsinHongKongandthislawshallbeincorporatedintoAnnexIIIoftheBasicLaw.ThatwillbesimilartotheGarrisonLawthatappliestothePeople’sLiberationArmyHongKongGarrison.

Chensaid:“IfthepowersofthemainlandofficersperformingdutiesinHongKongareclearlydefinedandlimitedbylaw,itwillmakeHongKongresidentsfeelmorecomfortable.

“YetthosewhoopposetheExpressRailLinkandco-locationwillopposewhateverformofco-locationsystem,”headded.

ChensaiditwasincorrecttosaymainlandofficerswillexecutelawsinHongKong.Itisnotfull-scalelawexecutionbecausetheywillonlyperformimmigrationandcustomschecksindesignatedareas.

“Itisapoliticalsloganoftheoppositioncamp,includingpeoplewithlegalbackgrounds,toclaim‘OneCountry,TwoSystems’willbeunderthreatbecauseoftheco-locationsystem,”Chensaid.