Watson
Sir Duncan Watson
HONG KONG: DEATH PENALTY
CONFIDENTIAL
Du Stuart
12
1.
Thirty Kai Fong leaders in Hong Kong have petitioned Her Majesty The Queen to issue a Royal Decree instructing the Hong Kong Government to reimpose the death penalty on criminals convicted of robbery and 106) murder. The petition has been conveyed to us in Hong Kong telegram
no. 178 Saving.
(103)
(02)
2. In his telegram no. 770, the Governor has pointed out that the petition raises no new points of substance; but, since the reply is likely to attract considerable publicity, he has asked for the opportunity to comment on it before it is sent to the petitioners.
3.
Mr Hattersley gave a written answer in the House on the subject 89) Capital Punishment in Hong Kong on 10 July. Hong Kong telegram no.
707 reported what the Governor said to the Press in Hong Kong on 28 June
after his discussions with the Secretary of State and Lord Goronwy-Roberts.
10) He mentioned specifically the climate of opinion in the House. On 26
July, Lord Goronwy-Roberts wrote to Mr Ben Ford MP setting out the dilemma in some considerable detail. We do not know if Mr Ford has given any publicity to this reply.
4. I understand that the standard practice is not to give reasons for the refusing or granting of a petition to Her Majesty. On past precedent, therefore, the answer could be simply on the lines: "I should be grateful if you would inform the petitioners that their petition has been laid before Her Majesty, but that I was unable to advise Her that it should be granted." There might be some advantage in leaving it at that. But since the subject is of such great concern in Hong Kong, and since there have already been public pronouncements on it, it might look better to
make at least some reference to the climate of opinion in the House, which after all is the reason for the present difficulty. We could therefore either:-
(a) instruct the Governor to convey a message from the Secretary of State at the same time as delivering the reply to the petition, or
(b) authorise him to make his own collateral explanation at the time of delivering the reply.
CONFIDENTIAL
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