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122
HONG KONG: PETITION ON DEATH PENALTY
Problem
1. To decide what advice the Secretary of State should tender to The queen on a petition to Her Majesty by 30 Kai-fong (Welfare Association) leaders in Hong Kong, in which they request Her to issue a Royal Decree instructing the Hong Kong Government to carry out the death penalty on criminals convicted of murder committed in the course of robbery.
Background and Argument
2. Ministers are aware of the strong feelings in Hong Kong about the death penalty. IMG's position is, however, set out in Lord Goronwy-Roberts's letter of 26 July 1974 to Mr Ben Ford MP. 3. The standard practice in answering petitions to Her Majesty is not to give reasons for either the refusing or granting of a petition. But since the issue is one of great concern in Hong Kong, we considered whether there might be merit in accompanying the usual reply with a further message from the Secretary of State amplifying it. However, the Governor of Hong Kong said he preferred not to add to the reply in this way.
4. We have also discussed with Hong Kong the form the reply itself might take. The Governor proposed a somewhat complicated formula, but has not dissented from the simplified version now
proposed.
5.
I recommend that, in accordance with normal practice, the petition should be submitted to The Queen under cover of a letter from the Private Secretary to the Private Secretary to The Queen, with the advice that the Governor should be instructed to reply to the petition as proposed. I also recommend that we should accept the Governor's advice that the reply should not be accompanied by an amplifying message from the Secretary of State.
CONFIDENTIAL
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