NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
CONFIDENTIAL
Nevertheless it iss tikety that the
Secretary M. Stake will not wish t
for example, be frecluded from making sure that some farticular consideration has been taken into
account -
(4) At an earlier
stage
HK Suggested Hat vete him of the death formally might be considered for certain specified crimes. He gavi should be told that if HonG act they would with abolition to be titul.
?
waste of
Wagn
[To be attract]
less satisfactorily, Jannounce
could jannounce publicly our intention to change the
law.
There is one point in this procedure which has
been queried by Sir Hugh Norman-Walker.
When the
Governor warns the Secretary of State of his likely
decision to let the law take its course we would hope
that it would still be open to us to send comments
which might conceivably help him to review his decision.
5. Sir Hugh Norman-Walker thinks that a running
argument about the details of a case is undesirable
and he hopes the Secretary of State would respect the
Governor's decision rather than argue against it.
SPEAKING NOTES
AKING
(1)
Mr Royle will wish to:
Seek the Governor's agreement to the proposed
procedure.
E agree
(2) Ask him whether he would be willing to consider
any views from us on a particular case between
his first notification to us and its consideration
by Executive Council.
(3)
(
Ask the Governor what he thinks the reaction is
Councils
likely to be in Executive or Legislative to a
decision by HMG to abolish the death penalty in
Hong Kong. Would they be likely in those
circumstances to consider abolishing the death
penalty themselves?
Ask the Governor whether he has any comment on
the Rigures obtained from Hong Kong at the Stet request of DOP (reasons for commutations in
previous years and latest crime statisties
Note attached as Annexe.
CONFIDENTIAL
واسه
(17259) Dd.897459 250m 12/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863 (16941) Dd.897300 250m 9/72 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863