XN000022-1994-07-05 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1994

JUDICIARY TO PUSH FOR USE OF CHINESE

THE PROMOTION OF THE USE OF CHINESE LANGUAGE IN THE COURTS IS A MAMMOTH TASK IN TERMS OF BOTH RESOURCES, DETAILED PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, TRAINING AND EDUCATION, THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR TI LIANG YANG, SAID AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (TUESDAY).

"TO TAKE THINGS FORWARD, I AM APPOINTING A STEERING COMMITTEE, WITH MR JUSTICE PATRICK CHAN AS CHAIRMAN AND MR MATTHEW CHEUNG KIN- CHUNG, THE DEPUTY JUDICIARY ADMINISTRATOR AS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, ΤΟ ADVISE ME ON THE OVERALL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE USE OF CHINESE IN THE COURTS, SIR TI LIANG SAID.

"

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THE ADMINISTRATION,

THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND THE LEGAL AID DEPARTMENT WILL BE REPRESENTED ON THE COMMITTEE, ALONG WITH A BARRISTER AND A SOLICITOR NOMINATED BY THE BAR ASSOCIATION AND THE LAW SOCIETY RESPECTIVELY.

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THE COMMITTEE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING, DIRECTING AND MONITORING THE USE OF CHINESE LANGUAGE IN THE COURTS.

ACCORDING TO SIR TI LIANG, THE WIDER USE OF CHINESE IS A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC CONCERN AND NEEDS TO BE TACKLED AS A MATTER OF PRIORITY AND URGENCY, AS 1997 DRAWS NEARER, SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE BASIC LAW.

"BUT EVEN WITHOUT THE BASIC LAW, CHINESE IS IMPORTANT IN VIEW OF HONG KONG'S LARGE CHINESE POPULATION," HE SAID.

SIR ΤΙ LIANG STRESSED: "IN PURSUING THE CHINESE MOVEMENT IN COURTS, WE MUST BEAR IN MIND THE NEED TO PROVIDE A GENUINELY BILINGUAL SYSTEM IN THE LAW, IN KEEPING WITH HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION."

THE

CHIEF JUSTICE ALSO REVEALED THAT HE HAD ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORTS COMPILED BY THE WORKING PARTY ON THE USE OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE IN THE LAW AND THE WORKING PARTY ON THE USE OF CHINESE IN THE DISTRICT COURT RESPECTIVELY.

HE WOULD ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ORDINANCE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE USE OF CHINESE IN THE COURTS ACROSS-THE-BOARD.

NEVERTHELESS, SIR TI LIANG CAUTIONED THAT A STEP-BY-STEP AND PRAGMATIC APPROACH SHOULD BE ADOPTED AS AMENDING THE LAW AT ONE STROKE WITHOUT THE NECESSARY MANPOWER AND EXPERTISE IN PLACE TO COPE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES WOULD ONLY CAUSE ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROCEDURAL CHAOS.

IT MIGHT OPEN THE FLOODGATE FOR THE USE OF CHINESE IN ALL COURT PROCEEDINGS, WITHOUT THE JUDICIARY, THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE LEGAL PROFESSIONS BEING EQUIPPED AND READY TO COPE, HE EXPLAINED.

ΤΟ AVOID THE "FLOODGATE" EFFECT, A MORATORIUM SHOULD BE THE LEGISLATIVE EXERCISE то ALLOW FOR A FLEXIBLE IMPLEMENTATION, SIR TI LIANG CONCLUDED.

INTO

BUILT PHASED

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