W(B)L 51-7433
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry
No. HWB 14/58
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted. Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
DRAFT LETTER
To:-
Nigel Fisher, Esq. M.C. M.P.
House of Commons,
S.W.1.
Type 1 +
From
4
Mr. Gaminara 2/5
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
FOR SIGNATURE BY LORD SHEPHERD
Thank you for your letter of 22 April with which
you enclosed a letter and newspaper cutting from
Mrs. Elsie Elliott in Hong Kong.
7.
The Hong Kong Government fully recognise that,
in the circumstances of Hong Kong, hawkers provide an essential service to the community At the same time,
some control over them is necessary, to ensure that
they do not cause obstruction or nuisance to the
unarmed
general public. The under-armed Hawker Control Force,
which is the Urban Council's own force, exists to
help the police in the duty of control and it would
certainly not be in anyone's interest to abolish it.
The Chairman of the Hawkers' Select Committee of the
Urban Council has, however, undertaken to consider
Mrs. Elliott's specific suggestions about larger
stalls, etc.
I cannot accept Mrs. Elliott's allegations that
corruption is protected by Government policy The
Eart
в
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Government does not deny that corruption exists and
(the mot
is, in fact, making/strenuous efforts to eradicate
it.
The corruption of public servants, particularly
those in departments such as the police, whose members
are in continuous contact with the public, is treated
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as a very serious problem. The disciplinary provisions
relating to corruption in the public service in Hong
Kong are probably tougher than those obtaining in any
other dependent territory. They include a requirement,
/unparallel
is ampy
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not