Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC, after attending the opening ceremony of Sketch HK Youth Painting Day this afternoon (June 22):

Reporter: While the vote might not have a legal basis or might not have a legal power, is it illegal for Hong Kong people to vote or participate in a thing like this, because the Mainland said it is illegal?

Secretary for Justice: I think it's a matter of how you construe the legal basis of the voting which is now being carried on. As we have explained in the press statement issued by the Government last Friday, under the Basic Law of Hong Kong, under the legal system of Hong Kong, and in fact bearing in mind the unique constitutional nature of Hong Kong as the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, there is simply no legal basis, no legal regime for putting forward any so-called "referendum". Therefore, the voting cannot be regarded as legally-binding, let alone be regarded as a so-called "referendum". For that reason, it has only be regarded as no more than an expression of opinion by the general public.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Sunday, Jun 22, 2014