HK civil servants contest ban on China panel .
HONG KONG 1996-08-29
Senior Hong Kong civil servants were given the go-ahead on Thursday to challenge a government ban on them standing for the Beijing-backed panel to choose the territory 's first post-handover leader and lawmakers .
The Supreme Court ruled that a judicial hearing contesting the ban would be heard on September 11 , three days before the nomination period for the Selection Committee closes .
The government maintains the ban , announced earlier this month , is necessary to avoid a possible conflict of interest because civil servants are involved in determining government policy .
Civil servants argue the ban stymies their political rights .
The 400-strong Selection Committee will select Hong Kong 's future chief executive to replace the British governor and a provisional legislature to take over from the elected chamber which Beijing plans to dissolve .
Hong Kong , a British colony for more than 150 years , will be handed back to China at midnight on June 30 next year .
China intends to dismantle the territory 's first fully-elected legislature because it opposes Britain 's recent electoral reforms and install an interim appointed chamber , a decision that has generated considerable controversy .
The judicial review sought by directorate-grade bureaucrats will apply to only about 1,000 of the approximately 33,000 civil servants affected .
Police unions are not contesting the ban , which affects all 27,000 officers , and nor are the very top tier of Hong Kong 's mandarin class , the policy secretaries .
More than 16,000 application forms for places on the Selection Committee have been handed out since the nomination period opened .
It closes on September 14 .