'Bar Association Should Stay Out Of Politics'

Executive councillor and barrister Ronny Tong has hit out at the Bar Association for its comments on proposed new extradition laws, saying that as a professional body, it should only provide advice in a fair manner rather than promoting a particular political stance.

Tong said the association should have given people a full picture of the situation by pointing out the defects in Hong Kong's legal system.

On Tuesday, the body issued a statement saying senior government officials, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam, have been misleading people by claiming there is a loophole in the current legislation which prevents extraditions to the mainland, Taiwan and Macau.

The association said that this restriction is no loophole, but a deliberate decision taken before the law was enacted in 1997.

Tong told RTHK's Janice Wong that it is difficult to see how the administration is misleading the public and he expected more from the association.

"When one makes such a serious accusation, I would expect a professional body to mention other relevant background information as to whether or not our legal system is defective, in that we do not have an acceptable and complete extradition arrangement in relation to the fighting of crime," Tong said.

He added that the Bar Association should also have mentioned that in 1990, the United Nations passed a resolution saying all places in the world have a duty to perfect their extradition arrangements.