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thá
may be ordered and its enactment would have the
orde
*
merit of enabling courts, in appropriate cases, to
combine sentences of caning with the making of
with the possibility of
Probation Orders thus reducing the number of cases
in which offenders (particularly first offenders might otherwise be
are sentenced both to caning and imprisonment The
Governor has reported that the proposed amendment would
undoubtedly receive strong public support in Hong
Hong. Recommendation
4.
For the reasons given in paragraph 3 above I
recommend that the proposed amendment be accepted.
The Bill was considered by the governor's
Executive Council on 30 March; it is to be
5
published on 16 April with a view to its introduction
into the Legislative Council on 28 April.
consider that this is a matter on which the
Governor might well have sought our views before
referring it to his Executive Council. This is
particularly so since it was only after some
hesitation that Ministers very recently agreed to the
introduction of another Bill to amend the Hong Kong
Corporal Punishment Ordinance by extending the types
of offence for which offenders of 16 years of age and
to
over might be sentenced of caning. For this reason
I think that Ministers will wish to be aware of the
Governor's intention to introduce this further
legislation.
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