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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC, after meeting with the families of the casualties of the vessel collision incident near Lamma Island yesterday (September 30):
Reporter: Mr Yuen, will you reveal another internal report both to the families and the public because that may affect... Can you consider revealing that too?
Secretary for Justice: Sorry, I beg your pardon. Can you repeat the question? I cannot hear the first part of it.
Reporter: Basically it is about if you will reveal another internal report about this incident, because that may affect the possible prosecution of Marine Department officials?
Secretary for Justice: When you said another internal report, do you mean the THB (Transport and Housing Bureau) internal report?
Reporter: Yes.
Secretary for Justice: I think this question was in fact discussed at the meeting just now. In fact, it was discussed at length. When my colleagues within the Prosecutions Division considered whether or not to make a decision to prosecute, they obviously have taken into account the contents of all the relevant materials including the evidence which were made available through the report, contained in the report by the THB. In fact, also at the meeting, outside independent counsel, Mr Andrew Bruce Senior Counsel, also made it very clear to the family members that when he studied the papers, the THB internal report is one of the documents, is one of the pieces of evidence that he has taken into account. So when he reached the decision that he has reached and explained today that there is, up to now, insufficient evidence to launch further criminal prosecutions. He has already taken into that account. It does not, therefore, go to suggest that if we were to disclose the report, it will enhance the chance of prosecutions. The short answer is those who are under a duty to look at it have already looked at it and taken that into account. And also as I was saying in Cantonese just now, at the meeting, some of the family members requested us to revisit the question as to whether there are other possible avenues to reveal the report to those family members who have not started civil proceedings against the Government. We agreed that we can look into the question again and give them an answer hopefully within a month.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, October 1, 2015
Issued at HKT 01:13
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