Drivers who kill while under the influence of alcohol may be charged with manslaughter, Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung has said.
Mr Wong was responding to an inquiry by lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, who represents the legal sector, in the days following a horrific accident at Lok Ma Chau in which six men died.
Ms Ng was reacting to the public outcry over a series of drink-driving accidents and calls for tougher punishment. Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The driver of the truck has been charged with dangerous driving causing death. He was reported to have returned a breath alcohol reading four times over the legal limit.
Without mentioning the Lok Ma Chau tragedy, Mr Wong wrote in reply to Ms Ng that the option of charging drink-drivers with manslaughter was an option open to prosecutors.
'The most appropriate charge is always selected,' he said. 'Whether a manslaughter charge can be laid depends on whether the evidence so supports it.'
He noted that the Court of Appeal had previously said the consumption of alcohol should be treated as an aggravating factor when judges sentence people found guilty of dangerous driving causing death. The penalty for that charge was raised to 10 years last year.
