The Government has the responsibility to emphasise the rule of law in the wake of recent illegal acts and a large-scale illegal movement, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen says.

Mr Yuen spoke to reporters before leaving for Sri Lanka to attend the Conference of Asian Attorneys General today.

He hopes the community understands why the Government must stress the importance of the rule of law.

The Department of Justice will follow standard procedures after the Police finish their investigations into the recent Occupy movement protests and submit relevant reports and evidence, he added.

Secretary for Security TK Lai has defended a Police decision to arrest Occupy movement protesters even though some had been released unconditionally after refusing bail.

Mr Lai told reporters today that Police are handling all cases in accordance with established procedures which include caution interviews with the arrestees.

These procedures must be done before they can summarise cases and submit them to the Department of Justice for advice, he added.

An unconditional release does not imply no further actions will be taken, he said, and a released person may still face prosecution.

Mr Lai also noted that he is exchanging ideas on the Chinese Exit Permit’s return mechanism with relevant Mainland officials to respond to those wish to go back because they cannot adapt to life in Hong Kong.

It may seem incredible, but apparently the authorities believe that the rights of Chinese lawyers need to be even further restricted. Thanks to Joshua Rosenzweig for his translation of, and commentary on, an open letter signed by more than 500…