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Dave 5
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Mr Royle said we could act if Hong Kong could find evidence of
an extraditable offence. Mr Woo agreed that that was what was
really needed, but he thought that it was very difficult.
DEATH PENALTY
5. Mr Woo said this was a very difficult problem. He knew
that Sir Y K Kan had discussed it with Mr Royle. Violent crime
in Hong Kong was increasing. Two policemen had recently been
killed, and it was believed that the murderers had killed them
because they believed they would never be hanged.
Mr Royle
pointed out that there had been no execution in Hong Kong since
1966, even though there had been some very bad cases. Mr Woo
said that the previous Governor, Sir David Trench, had told him
that they all had been reprieved because the Labour Government
would not have permitted an execution. Mr Royle said he had not
heard of this, but would check up. However, it was not a party
political issue. There were abolitionists and retentionists in
both the Conservative and Labour parties. Mr Woo pointed out
that Hong Kong was different from Britain in this respect.
Mr Royle said he understood this. He recognised that the
majority of people in Hong Kong wanted the Death Penalty retained
and that conditions in Hong Kong were different from the UK. But
the Tsoi case had been a particularly difficult one in that it
had come up just at the time of the votes on the death penalty in
the House. He then explained the Parliamentary background.
Mr Woo said that the Hong Kong Government had wanted Tsoi to be
/hanged