Hong Kong government damaged ‘one country, two systems’ with ‘monster’ co-location plan at express rail terminus, court told
- Judicial review applicant Hendrick Lui argues that arrangement allowing mainland laws to be enforced in West Kowloon terminus is unconstitutional
- His lawyer says special administrative region has been created within city where there is only ‘one country, one system’
Such an arrangement must be unconstitutional, according to Martin Lee Chu-ming SC, for Chinese University masters student Hendrick Lui Chi-hang, because it created a smaller special administrative region within Hong Kong where there was only “one country, one system”.
“They have picked [an arrangement] which caused the heaviest damage to ‘one country, two systems,’” Lee said. “If we allow this decision to bring about this effect to our system, to bring ‘one country, one system’ to this small SAR, there will be a second, a third and a fourth, and it will be the end of the rule of law as we know it.”
Under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy. The Basic Law is the city’s mini-constitution.
Trio’s challenge to controversial express rail link checkpoint back on track
Lui is among four applicants challenging the constitutionality of the so-called co-location arrangement instituted on September 23, the same day as the HK$84.4 billion (US$10.7 billion) Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link commenced service.
