Remarks by DSJ at media session
Following are the remarks by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (October 5):
Reporter: Mr Cheung, because quite a number of overseas judges have resigned, so are you worried about voices concerning the recognition and the credibility of the top courts in Hong Kong? And do you think there is a need to fill up the vacancies as soon as possible?
Deputy Secretary for Justice: Certainly, we fully recognise the contributions made by the overseas judges in Hong Kong. Several of them left, maybe for different reasons, some for personal reasons and some for other reasons that may not be disclosed to us. I will say that we recognise their contributions. But, as you can see many excellent common law jurisdictions in the world, they do not have such kind of mechanism. The mechanism of overseas judges is a unique feature of our system, but it doesn't mean that if you do not have overseas judges, you do not have good rule of law, as you can see from the other examples of other jurisdictions all over the world. The appointment of the overseas judges is not the job of the Department of Justice but I am pretty sure that our Judiciary will continue to look for other outstanding judges in overseas jurisdictions. For the Hong Kong people, we should recognise that there are very good remarks made by the other serving overseas judges in Hong Kong and overseas judges who just left, they fully recognise the rule of law in Hong Kong and we must have every confidence in our own rule of law, in our legal system.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Brussels ETO supports Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO) supported the 57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which is taking place in Sitges, Spain, from October 3 to 13 (Sitges time). Five Hong Kong movies are featured in the Festival, namely "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In", "The Goldfinger", "Peg O' My Heart", "The Moon Thieves" and "Inexternal".
Brussels ETO hosted a reception on October 4 (Sitges time) with the participation of the Director of "Inexternal", Mr Yuen Kim-wai, and about 100 guests from the local film, cultrual and business sectors.
Speaking at the reception, Assistant Representative of Brussels ETO Mr Paul Leung, said that Hong Kong is the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges and an Asian front-runner in the global film history.
"To enhance the development of the film industry, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been supporting the film industry through the Film Development Fund in four strategic directions, namely, nurturing talent, enhancing local production, expanding markets and building audiences," added Mr Leung.
He highlighted the recently launched Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme, which subsidises film projects coproduced by filmmakers from European and Asian countries to produce films featuring Hong Kong, European and Asian cultures. The scheme aims to support Hong Kong films to expand to overseas markets.
Founded in 1968, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is the world's leading fantasy film festival. It screens films related to the fantastic genre, including action and adventure movies and black comedies, with a special emphasis on thrillers.
Brussels ETO supports Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Brussels ETO supports Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
