More than 50 changes proposed by Hong Kong’s pan-democrats for high-speed rail checkpoint debate thrown out by Legislative Council President Andrew Leung
Lawmakers condemn move and argue that rules of procedures have been tightened and the legislature’s purpose as a lawmaking body has been eroded
Only about a third of amendments to a controversial bill for the cross-border high-speed rail link will be tabled for debate on Wednesday in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, according to its president.
On Monday, Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said Legco had accepted for discussion 24 out of 75 changes raised by pan-democratic lawmakers. He added that the 51 that were thrown out were deemed to be beyond the scope of the bill or Legco’s rules of procedure.
The bill centres on a joint checkpoint arrangement where mainland laws would apply to a section of the West Kowloon terminus of the rail link.
Leung said 36 hours spanning two weeks were earmarked for the second reading of the bill – starting on Wednesday – before the September commissioning of the HK$84.4 billion (US$10.76 billion) express rail link connecting Hong Kong and Guangzhou via Shenzhen.
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“Legislators should respect the scope of these amendments, I don’t expect any major clashes,” Leung said. “The government or [Beijing’s liaison office in the city] have not given me any pressure.”
