CONFIDENTIAL
3.
No executions have taken place in Hong Kong since 1966.
But in April this year the Governor decided that the law must
take its course in the case of Tsoi, who was convicted of murder
in the course of a gang robbery. This coincided with the debates
on the death penalty in Northern Ireland and in general in the
UK.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary decided after
consulting his colleagues that an execution in Hong Kong at
that time would cause an unacceptable political row in the UK.
Tsoi was therefore reprieved by The Queen on the advice
of the Secretary of State.
4.
Ministers then considered the question of the death penalty
in the dependent territories as a whole. They decided that we
should do nothing to change the law in those dependent territories
which have elected legislatures. In the case of Hong Kong,
which has an official majority in Legislative Council, they agreed
that it was important to support the Governor's decisions, but
said that the attitude of Parliament would make it necessary to
scrutinise those decisions very carefully. Subsequently the
Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary agreed with the Governor of
Hong Kong that the latter would be put in an intolerable
position if his decision was again overruled as in the case of
Tsoi after it had been made public. If this seemed likely to
happen it would be better to take steps to abolish the death
penalty in Hong Kong by Order in Council in the United Kingdom.
5. There have as yet been no further cases in which the
Governor has decided that the law must take its course.
potentially difficult case, the Governor has reprieved a double
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