Hong Kong, 5 May 2021: There is a wall-mounted plaque in the BC&C office of which we are particularly proud. It was presented to us three years ago by the Mission For Migrant Workers in recognition of our assistance over the course of three-plus decades. Specifically, my long-time colleague Mel Boase has dedicated much of […]

Hong Kong, 28 April 2021: More than 10,200 people have been arrested since mid-2019 in connection with the anti-government protests, according to official updates presented to the Legislative Council. Around two-thirds of them are under 25. This is not just a heartbreaking statistic, it’s a lost generation. Last month, I highlighted in this column a […]

By Henry Siu Hong Kong, 27 April 2021: Can an employer fire a member of staff for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19? This is an increasingly common question as Hong Kong’s mass inoculation programme enters its second month and the government ties the easing of social distancing restrictions in the F&B sector to a […]

Hong Kong, 21 April 2021: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it’s much more serious than that.” The famous quote of the late, great Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, a man renowned for his Scottish working class roots (he was a coal […]

By Michael Jackson Hong Kong, 15 April 2021: In Part I, we outlined the recent decision of the Hong Kong Court of Appeal (“HKCA”) in Tong Wai Hung ([2021] HKCA 404) in which the court ruled that the doctrine of “joint criminal enterprise” (as it has been styled by the Court of Final Appeal – […]

Hong Kong, 14 April 2021: Six-year-olds can be refreshingly blunt with their questions. “Gung gung [grandfather], when can I go to my house?” asks grandson Nathan. He’s referring to our idyllic family retreat on Australia’s Gold Coast where, in normal circumstances, we typically stay two or three times a year. I do my best to […]

By Allison Lee and Claire Chow Hong Kong, 9 April 2021: In a landmark judgment, the UK’s Supreme Court has ruled Uber drivers should be classified as “workers” rather than “self-employed”, thus making them entitled to benefits such as a minimum wage and paid holidays. The ruling has implications for companies operating in the so-called […]

Hong Kong, 7 April 2021: I hope Dennis Skinner is enjoying his well-earned retirement. A titan of British politics and Labour Party icon, he represented the Midlands constituency of Bolsover in Parliament for 49 years until 2019. For 31 of those years the Conservatives were in power and the “Beast of Bolsover” – a former […]

Hong Kong, 31 March 2021: Patrick Nip, the Secretary for the Civil Service, doesn’t strike me as a party animal. He’s hardly the sort of guy to have a few drinks, let his hair down and start a conga line. That said, he’s leading us all a merry dance with his Covid-19 vaccination rollout, which […]