OFFICIAL RECORD of PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 June 2019 the Council Continued to Meet at Nine O'clock
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 11929 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Thursday, 27 June 2019 The Council continued to meet at Nine o'clock MEMBERS PRESENT: THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P. PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, G.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P. 11930 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H. THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, S.B.S., M.H., J.P. THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LEUNG THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, B.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG WAH-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE FERNANDO CHEUNG CHIU-HUNG DR THE HONOURABLE HELENA WONG PIK-WAN THE HONOURABLE IP KIN-YUEN DR THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH QUAT, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LIAO CHEUNG-KONG, S.B.S., J.P. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 11931 THE HONOURABLE POON SIU-PING, B.B.S., M.H. DR THE HONOURABLE CHIANG LAI-WAN, S.B.S., J.P. IR DR THE HONOURABLE LO WAI-KWOK, S.B.S., M.H., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALVIN YEUNG THE HONOURABLE ANDREW WAN SIU-KIN THE HONOURABLE CHU HOI-DICK THE HONOURABLE JIMMY NG WING-KA, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE JUNIUS HO KWAN-YIU, J.P. THE HONOURABLE HO KAI-MING THE HONOURABLE LAM CHEUK-TING THE HONOURABLE HOLDEN CHOW HO-DING THE HONOURABLE SHIU KA-FAI THE HONOURABLE WILSON OR CHONG-SHING, M.H. THE HONOURABLE YUNG HOI-YAN THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHUN-YING, J.P. THE HONOURABLE TANYA CHAN THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG KWOK-KWAN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LUK CHUNG-HUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU KWOK-FAN, M.H. 11932 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LAU IP-KEUNG, B.B.S., M.H., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE CHENG CHUNG-TAI THE HONOURABLE KWONG CHUN-YU THE HONOURABLE JEREMY TAM MAN-HO THE HONOURABLE GARY FAN KWOK-WAI THE HONOURABLE AU NOK-HIN THE HONOURABLE VINCENT CHENG WING-SHUN, M.H. THE HONOURABLE TONY TSE WAI-CHUEN, B.B.S. THE HONOURABLE CHAN HOI-YAN MEMBERS ABSENT: THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, G.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-KIN, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING, S.B.S., J.P. THE HONOURABLE DENNIS KWOK WING-HANG THE HONOURABLE CHUNG KWOK-PAN THE HONOURABLE SHIU KA-CHUN DR THE HONOURABLE PIERRE CHAN THE HONOURABLE HUI CHI-FUNG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 11933 PUBLIC OFFICER ATTENDING: THE HONOURABLE MATTHEW CHEUNG KIN-CHUNG, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P. CHIEF SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATION CLERKS IN ATTENDANCE: MS ANITA SIT, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MISS FLORA TAI YIN-PING, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MS DORA WAI, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL MR MATTHEW LOO, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL 11934 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 ADJOURNMENT MOTION PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Good morning. This Council now resumes the debate on the adjournment motion moved under Rule 16(2) of the Rules of Procedure. Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, please speak. ADJOURNMENT MOTION UNDER RULE 16(2) OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE Continuation of debate on motion which was moved on 26 June 2019 MR LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG (in Cantonese): President, Mr Christopher CHEUNG proposed the adjournment motion: "society has been continuously torn apart due to serious disagreements in society over the handling of the amendment of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance … the immediate countermeasures adopted by the Government to expeditiously restore social order and stabilize the business environment, so that people's life can return normal". It is worthy to take this opportunity to hold a discussion on major events that happened in society recently. I think Mr Christopher CHEUNG's adjournment motion is well-intentioned. However, after listening to yesterday's debate, my impression is that the views of Members from the two camps in the Council are polarized. Members from the opposition camp went so far as to use insulting language to attack Honourable colleagues from the pro-establishment camp. The practice is tantamount to the acts of some young people, claiming to be students, who chased, attacked and prevented a police officer from reporting duty outside the Police Headquarters yesterday evening. I am not sure if that police officer was injured as they did flash laser beams and pitched eggs at him. It is indeed heart-wrenching to see these violent acts. Similarly, although physical violence is not used in the Council, verbal violence is very serious. Hence, I find the President's order yesterday for Mr Dennis KWOK to withdraw from the Chamber justified because our discussion here precisely seeks to restore society that has been torn apart back to normal. We should sit down and hold a discussion to find better measures for future development and stability of Hong Kong for the Government's consideration. I believe we should consider the matter from this perspective. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 11935 President, my speech today may not necessarily be very calm, but I hope I will be able to restrain myself. The original intention of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 ("the Bill") is to uphold justice. Unfortunately, since the Bill was tabled to the Legislative Council in March, the outbreak of a series of large-scale riots and assemblies recently has flipped the whole matter from upholding justice to a huge political force which caused social unrest and even caused families to be riven. If Members have paid attention to some video clips, they must have noticed a video capturing the conversation between a table of elderly people (we could not see their faces in the video but I guess they are elderly) and a youngster in a restaurant. The youngster kept questioning why the elderly criticized his friends. This is precisely an after-effect of the crisis brought about by the Bill: conflicts in families and mutual distrust among people, which reminds me of the similar situation in 2014 and 2015 during Occupy Central. Recently, I heard a radio host talk about the sequela of this crisis. According to him, some young people felt resentful about the description of demonstrations as riots. They said they did not take part in riots. Instead, they just did the right thing for the betterment of Hong Kong. The host then asked the youngsters whether it is similar to a colour revolution, that is, the umbrella revolution according to them, in 2014? The youngsters agreed. In other words, young people of this generation feel the urge to reform society. What has gone wrong in society that requires a social reform, even by means of revolution? Therefore, I think it is a must to explain the Bill clearly so as to set the record straight. Nevertheless, the Government has already suspended the Bill, apologized to the public and admitted that its explanatory work has not been sufficient. Under the Legislative Council system, the suspension is equivalent to withdrawal of the Bill. However, some people still insist that the Government must use the term "withdraw" instead of "postpone or suspend", calling the latter words nonsense. Now society does not approve of the Government's approach; the Government will not table the Bill to the Legislative Council again; explanations are not accepted by society, is it thus pointless for us to discuss the Bill today? I do not think so. We have to continue the discussion because we should see justice done. The Bill arose from the case in which a Hongkonger committed a crime in Taiwan of which the victim is also a Hongkonger. It is sensible, reasonable and a matter of social justice to extradite the suspect to Taiwan for trial. Yesterday, 11936 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ― 27 June 2019 I heard Mr Alvin YEUNG ask the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong ("DAB") whether we would let the matter rest here, or perhaps his private Members' Bill should be handed over to us for furtherance. I do not think Mr Alvin YEUNG's proposal was well-intentioned as he has been opposing the Bill from the outset until now that the Bill will be subject to further proceedings. Not only does he oppose extraditing this Hongkonger to Taiwan, he considers it wrong to plug the loophole which has been existing for some 20 years. That is why he opposes the Bill. Today, he sheds crocodile tears by saying that DAB should not let the matter rest and may pursue with his private Members' Bill.