🌊 Free Tide: Landmark ruling says lawmakers can face criminal charges for disrupting Legco
🌊 Free Tide: Landmark ruling says lawmakers can face criminal charges for disrupting Legco
Court of Final Appeals makes a landmark ruling, Hong Kong IPO pipeline continues to swell, National Games draws to a close and more...
Good morning,
Recently I’ve been obsessed with this Thai Iced Coffee drink that I’ve been getting almost every day. It’s not been the best for my bank account (food/drink in the US is expense), but for any of you coffee-lovers out there I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
~ Sze Yu
Court of Final Appeals rules that lawmakers can face criminal charges for disrupting Legco
The landmark decision could result in the conviction of 11 former opposition politicians, including ex-lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung. Leung is currently in jail for other NSL related offences, but currently faces additional charges for snatching a folder from a government official during a panel meeting in 2016.
Sections 3 and 4 of the 1985 ordinance state that there shall be freedom of speech and debate in Legco or proceedings before a committee, and that no legal action can be launched against a lawmaker “for words spoken before, or written in a report to” a Legco sitting.
On Monday, the Court of Final Appeals ruled that the privilege only exempted lawmakers from being questioned in court over statements made in the legislature.
COVID news
Coronavirus in Hong Kong
New cases: 3 (imported)
China border reopening contingent on strong quarantine/testing policies
This weekend’s meeting between top Hong Kong and mainland officials made no conclusion on a specific date for border reopening. Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-Chiu said both sides remained positive, and identified three areas of improvement for Hong Kong: covering screening requirements for inbound travellers, the quarantine system and the city’s overall approach to risk.
Hong Kong listings market hits highest point since 1980
In the past nine months, 71 companies raised US$35.9 billion through IPOs and secondary listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This nine month total, representing a 25% increase year on year, was also the best on record since 1980.
Despite Xi Jinping’s attempts to rewrite the rules of the Chinese economy (cracking down on the excesses of the tech, real estate and other sectors) Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline has remained strong for the time being.
To learn more about why Chinese companies are redirecting their fundraising activities to Hong Kong, subscribe to Paid Tide!
Read Harbour Time’s (my) article: “Financing Asia’s Growth: The Big Bang of Finance” to learn more about HKEX CEO Nicolas Aguzin’s predictions for Hong Kong’s financial future!
Events & Exhibitions
Our events are handpicked from public exhibitions, partnerships/collaborations and also just stuff we find cool. We want to make sure that what we advertise is interesting for our readers, so if you go to an event that you saw here, let us know by taking a selfie and tagging us on Twitter or Instagram ( both @harbourtimes ).
We’ll throw in a free month of Paid High Tide for yourself or a friend!
ReThink Hong Kong
ReThink HK—Hong Kong’s best attended and most ambitious business event for sustainable development—will be returning for a second time. The two-day expo and conference aims to answer how businesses can accelerate change towards a more sustainable future for Hong Kong.
ReThink HK will be held on Tuesday 5 Oct and Wednesday 6 Oct, HKCEC. Find out more at ReThink HK’s website! See you there!
Harbour Times is proud to be an official Media Partner for Rethink HK. Find our article. For more information about the event, read our article on ReThink HK and our LoTW takeover from ReThink founder Chris Brown.
Ponte Orchestra: Mahler V
Are you a Mahler fan? I know I’m sorta ambivalent but that’s mainly because I couldn’t understand any theory assignments based on his work and almost failed first year music theory at University.
I do however love loud romantic composers and Mahler is one of them. I also really like the Ponte orchestra which has not disappointed at all in their programme choices. We previously covered their Collaboration Concert with the EU (United in Diversity), as well as their performance of Bach’s German Requiem on High Tide.
Join me at their concert Oct 3, 8pm at City Hall!
Carrie Lam attends National Games closing ceremony
The China National Games have officially ended. Chief Executive Carrie Lam attended the closing ceremony in Xian yesterday and joined the National Games flag handover ceremony with the Governor of Guangdong and the Chief Executive of Macau. In total, Hong Kong claimed two gold medals and five bronze. The city’s gold medalists were cyclists Lee Sze-wing and Lee Wai-Sze.
Hong Kong will be jointly hosting the 15th edition of the National Games in 2025.
Other updates
Hong Kong police have arrested an elderly man who escaped from his Tsim Sha Tsui compulsory quarantine hotel. The man, who flew in from Italy, was detained in Sheung Wan on Monday evening after a day on the run.
31-year-old Tung Pak-fai has been sentenced to 9 years in prison after admitting to stabbing pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho. Tung attacked Ho in mid-2019 in the midst of the 2019 pro-democracy protests. “The July 21 Yuen Long incident was your deed,“ he yelled after stabbing Ho, according to witnesses.
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