HK leader tells lawyers' group to stay out of politics

HONG KONG • Hong Kong's government may cut ties with one of the city's key legal profession associations if it gets involved in politics, the city's leader Carrie Lam said yesterday in her latest warning to civil society groups.

The Chief Executive's comments come before an election on Aug 24 for five seats on the council of Hong Kong's Law Society, the professional association and regulator for the city's 12,000 solicitors.

Mrs Lam said in April that the government could intervene, if necessary, in the Bar Association for barristers, whose chairman, Mr Paul Harris, has been labelled an "anti-China" politician by top Beijing officials after he criticised jail terms handed to some pro-democracy politicians.

Although the Law Society is seen as more conservative than the Bar Association, debates in its recent elections have focused on a more liberal agenda.

This year, four of the candidates are considered outspoken, raising fears among some government officials of a political agenda.

"If the Law Society's professionalism is trumped by politics, the government will consider cutting ties with it," Mrs Lam told reporters at her regular weekly news conference.

The Law Society said it remained politically neutral.

"We are in constant communication with relevant governmental departments, expressing opinion to improve the practice environment and regularly responds, from the legal perspective, to consultations on different issues," Law Society president Melissa Pang said.

The Bar Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has said it is not a political organisation.

Last Saturday, China's People Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, called on the Law Society not to become a "politicised group" and to show that it is different from the Bar Association, which the newspaper described as a "running rat".

"While there may be some different political views on the council, even if the four of us all win, the balance will be held by those who are really politically neutral and will not allow the council to be outspoken in a way that would cause concern to the government," candidate Jonathan Ross said.

Mrs Lam also said yesterday that she did not have an explicit timetable for the implementation in Hong Kong of a mainland Chinese law that retaliates against foreign sanctions, adding that it would be tough to push it through during the current legislative term.

Beijing adopted a law in June under which individuals or entities involved in making or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could be put on a Chinese government anti-sanctions list.

A meeting in Beijing from yesterday to Friday by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the highest organ of China's Parliament, is being closely watched for any signs on how and when similar legislation may be introduced in Hong Kong.

REUTERS