Pan-dems Try To Fend Off Rail Bill With Hold-ups

Pro-democracy lawmakers repeatedly made quorum calls on Thursday as they continued their bid to stall controversial legislation that would allow mainland laws to be enforced at the West Kowloon terminus of the cross-border express rail link.

The house also voted down a bid by the opposition to adjourn the debate.

The Civic Party's Tanya Chan had moved the motion on Wednesday, arguing that the council should not pass a bill that is "unconstitutional".

Council Front lawmaker Au Nok-hin defended their delay tactics, saying if lawmakers were to approve the legislation, they would "no longer be able to face their constituents".

“What we can do is to try to use the limited tools in order to express to the public that we do not support the current arrangement,” said Au.

“I think that we have our obligation to try to express that there are still a lot of problems with the co-location arrangement.”

Alice Mak from the Federation of Trade Unions said the opposition camp is just wasting time to create the impression that not enough hours have been scheduled for discussions.

Legco president Andrew Leung has capped the time for the debate at 36 hours.

The government says allowing mainland immigration officials to operate at the station will be crucial to ensure the new line is convenient for passengers. Critics say the move will be tantamount to Hong Kong giving away part of its territory.

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