CONFIDENTIAL
(21)
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psychiatric report would be most unlikely to provide grounds
for proposing a reprieve. There is no suggestion that the prisoner
is clinically insane, or anything near it. If there had been any
suspicion of this, the Governor would certainly have asked for
his own report.
RECOMMENDATION
6. For the sake of the prisoner himself and the general
situation in Hong Kong, we should avoid unnecessary delay in
reaching a final conclusion. Our subsequent investigations I believe
have only confirmed the view in my submission of 24 April, that
it would be most difficult to intervene in the Governor's exercise
of his discretion. I therefore recommend that the letter to the
Palace attached to that submission should now be despatched and,
when The Queen's reply is received, the reply to the Governor
should be sent in the terms proposed.
7.
I attach the
Alternatively, if there is advantage in this country in some
further delay while every possible consideration is further
explored in detail, there could be advantage in asking the
Governor to arrange a psychiatric investigation.
draft of an alternative telegram to achieve this. I shall myself
be in Hong Kong on 9 May and could explain to the Governor
personally the timing and other considerations behind this
request.
8. The department's Legal Adviser concurs.
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7 May 1973
CONFIDENTIAL
ACSha
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department
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