Registry No.
DEPARTMENT
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
HUC15. 1/12
*
Hong Kong
PRIORITY MARKINGS
(Date)
Flash
Immediate
Priority Routine
Despatche
Date and time (G.M.T.) telegram should
reach addressee(s)...
CYP
tion]
[Sec
Security classification —if any
En Clair.
[
Code
Cypher
Draft Telegramlo:-
CANBERRA 191
No.
(Date)
And to:-
10/3
Privacy marking -if any
[Codeword—if any]
Addressed to
telegram ..............
And to
]
repeated for information to
10/3
1953
IMMEDIATE
CONFIDENTIAL
CANBERRA
(date)
21/1
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Repeat to:-
Saving to:-
Distribution:-
As for F.CO K. Rb 184.
Copies to:-
Hat's
Saving ...............
Your telegram no. 236.
Letter from J. Allo.
Paragraph 2 of our telegram no. 184 was intended to deal with points raised in Litton's
letter of 2nd December. The point of principle
raised by Rear and Litton is fully appreciated but
the fact is that emergency legislation must often
provide, in a situation affecting the security of
the state, additional powers for the Executive and derogation from the normal procedures of the rule of law. To the extent that this has been necessary in
Hong Kong there are more than adequate safeguards against the misuse of those powers.
0.3.
The majority of emergency regulations have
already been discontinued and no new detention
orders have been issued since April 1968. This action has been made possible in part by the fact that organised violence has ceased; but the power of detention under Regulation 31 must continue so long as it proves necessary, in the interests of security,
to retain persons in detention.
17352
FES.
Guidance &
2.
102157
It should also be noted that the views
expressed by Rear and Litton do not, repeat not,