NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Dd.033009 Gp.863
CONFIDENTIAL
3
because
on
a
number of occasions
publicly We have carligated Rhodesia as a
state and referred
in very
critical terms to ader Го славных селані
djectionable features it's legislation.
१
4.
For our part, we have taken a look at the
Rhodesian legislation There is no emergency
particular
legislation on this subject which is governed by an
ordinance in the substantive law enacted in 1963.
This provides the mandatory death penalty for
offences of causing or attempting to cause.
(
se by use of
petrol, explosives, etc.) injury, death or damage to:-
(a) persons;
(b) residential property;
(c) other property and vehicles in which there
were in fact persons present at the time
of the offence (even though the accused
did not know it).
The penalty for possession is twenty years. We feel
that Ministers may not be able to ignore the fact that
they are being asked to sanction a penalty that is
more severe than the Rhodesian law provides, in view
of the propaganda advantage this would give the Smith
effective
regime. It is doubtful whether any great play could
bym
be made of the points that the Hong Kong penalty was an
emergency provision of temporary application or that
circumstances in Hong Kong and Rhodesia were very
different.