Maria Bras-Amorós and Julio Fernández-González
Math. Comp. 89 (2020), 2017-2030.
Abstract, references and article information

I. Arab and P. E. Oliveira
Theor. Probability and Math. Statist. 99 (2020), 19-37.
Abstract, references and article information

Phạm Tiến Sơn
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2739-2741.
Abstract, references and article information

Qingying Bu
Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 2459-2467.
Abstract, references and article information

In recent times, criminal damage has been repeatedly inflicted on our court buildings through graffiti. Some went as far as making derogatory remarks against specific judges which may amount to contempt of court. It is bewildering as to what such acts could achieve except a futile attempt to undermine the very core value that we cherish and respect.

Judicial independence is the key building block to our society. These rampant acts and statements, and for that matter, any views expressed in society or media, would not in any way usurp the decision-making process in court proceedings, nor will they affect our judicial independence as our judges will continue to decide cases based only on evidence and law, setting out how they have arrived at such decisions in their judgments, which are available to the general public. They have taken a judicial oath to administer justice without fear or favour and it is their duty to so do.

Judges in Hong Kong are appointed upon the recommendation by a statutory committee comprising nine members including the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, the Secretary for Justice, two judges from the Judiciary, one barrister and one solicitor, as well as three eminent and respected members of the society not connected with the practice of law. Our judges would not be subjected to any political vetting. The only criteria upon which they are considered before appointment is the judicial and professional quality that contributes to our renowned judicial independence.

Judges enjoy security of tenure and immunity. Upon the appointment, district court judges and above are precluded from returning to practice in Hong Kong as a barrister or a solicitor. This “non-revolving door” system has worked well in preventing perceived potential conflicts of interest and enhances the independence of our judiciary.

Our judges manifest the highest professional and judicial quality as well as impartiality through the reasoned judgments that they deliver. Hong Kong cases are often cited in overseas jurisprudence evidencing the confidence and respect of the global legal community in Hong Kong’s judicial and legal systems.

The institutional framework described above, the guarantee of judicial independence explicitly set out in the Basic Law and the quality of our judgments contribute to the much respected judiciary and rule of law in Hong Kong. To top it all is that eminent and highly respected judges from apex court of other common law jurisdictions sit on our Court of Final Appeal as non-permanent judges. They sit on all types of cases, from commercial, criminal to constitutional and have witnessed Hong Kong’s system in administering justice.

One of our non-permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal, the Right Honourable the Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury (former President of the Supreme Court of England and Wales who presided over the Brexit case), pointed out in a seminar in 2017 that his own direct experience as a non-permanent judge since 2010 proved that the Permanent Judges of the Court of Final Appeal are as institutionally independent and impartial. He also said that he has every reason to believe that this is equally true of the judges in the other courts of Hong Kong. He even said he would not be sitting in the Court of Final Appeal if he had any serious concerns about judicial independence or judicial impartiality in Hong Kong.

More recently, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC, another non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal and also a retired chief justice of Canada, described in an interview that Hong Kong’s law is very rigorously applied, the judges are of high calibre, it is a very high level of judging, and the court is independent.

These remarks from eminent and respected judges from around the world speak volume about Hong Kong. One cannot help but be perplexed as to why some chose to try to undermine these core values baselessly and insidiously. It behoves each of us, in particular the legal sector including the two branches of the legal profession, to protect our judicial independence that underpins Hong Kong’s success and encourage others to join hands through our own sphere of influence. It is high time we bring back the Hong Kong we are familiar with.

Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on January 5.

The Transport Department today invited tenders for operating six major licensed ferry services for outlying islands for five years from April 1, 2021.

The six routes are between Central to Cheung Chau, Inter-islands between Peng Chau, Mui Wo, Chai Ma Wan and Cheung Chau, Central to Mui Wo, Central to Peng Chau, Central to Yung Shue Wan and Central to Sok Kwu Wan.

The department said that for the purposes of maintaining financial viability of the six major routes, alleviating the burden of fare increases on passengers, enhancing service quality and promoting a green city development, the Government would continue to provide special measures to the routes.

Such measures would include launching a new Vessel Subsidy Scheme to help selected ferry operators replace the fleets of the six major routes and introduce greener vessels in phases, straddling 10 years from 2021.

Having regard to factors such as passenger demand, overall fleet requirements, flexibility in vessel deployment, operational efficiency, and after consulting the Islands District Council, the six major routes are grouped into two packages for tendering.

The first package covers Central-Cheung Chau, Peng Chau-Mui Wo-Chi Ma Wan-Cheung Chau (Inter Islands) and Central-Mui Wo routes.

The other package covers Central-Peng Chau, Central-Yung Shue Wan and Central-Sok Kwu Wan routes.

Tenderers are required to propose a fare for each fare type of each relevant route and it must not exceed the existing fare level of the corresponding route by more than 5%. Tenders should also include in their submissions fare concession proposals that will be considered in the tender evaluation.

In support of the Government's development of a smart city, tenderers should propose measures including dissemination of real-time arrival/departure time of ferry routes, number of remaining seats via mobile phone apps and opening up such data for the public’s use under data.gov.hk.

The tenders must be sealed in envelopes and placed in the Transport Department Tender Box adjacent to the reception counter of the department on the 10th floor of South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei before noon on June 30.

The cover of the tender submission should be marked with tender reference TD 382/2019 and include the subject of the tender. It should also be addressed to the Commissioner for Transport.

Tender documents will be available for collection at the Transport Department’s Ferry & Paratransit Division on the 14th Floor, South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei from April 27 during office hours.

The deadline for applications under the first round of funding from the Elder Academy Development Foundation in 2020 has been extended to June 30, the Labour & Welfare Bureau announced today.

The decision aims to provide sufficient time for primary and secondary school sponsoring bodies, post-secondary institutions and organisations, which may be affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, to prepare their submissions.

The fund’s committee accepts funding applications all year round and conducts vetting and disburses funding twice a year. The deadlines were generally May 31 and October 31 respectively.

The committee will continue to monitor the situation and announce arrangements for the next round in due course.

To tie in with the Elder Academy Scheme, the fund mainly provides funding for primary and secondary schools as well as post-secondary institutions to set up academies to provide learning opportunities in a school setting for the elderly.

Funding is also provided for activities that encourage elderly learning and inter-generational harmony.

Call 3655 5861 or 3655 5007 for enquiries.