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Sing Pao (23.10.75) said that the Governor could take this opportunity to convey the opinions of the Hong Kong public to the British Government and urge that Hong Kong be granted certain rights to decide for herself.
The paper also supported the three-year trial period for hanging proposed by Mrs. Joyce Symons.
"The British Government may grant such a request while awaiting developments because in this way they can justify their action to the British Parliament," it said.
Oriental Daily (23.10.75) said: "Hong Kong has tried many methods with the exception of the death penalty, to improve social law and order, and so, maybe, the Government should give the proposal a try."
The Express (24.10.75) said that the Hong Kong Government had to all outward appearances had not tried its hardest to fight for the restoration of the death penalty.
It added that from this example it seemed that the days of "colonialism" were not yet over.
"Living in this current climate of murders and robberies, the people can never cultivate 'a sense of belonging', " the paper said.
Hong Kong might hold the high-sounding name of a "showcase for democracy", the Express said, but over this matter it has turned out to be "a litterbin for public opinion".
If the Government continues with this lax attitude, it would be sowing the seeds for greater confusion in the future, the paper said.
Hong Kong Daily News (23.10.75) said: "It is no longer a question of sentimentality. More amongst us will be murdered if the death penalty is not enforced.
"Under the existing policy, the people have no guarantee that they will not be murdered, but all murderers can be sure that the death sentence will not be imposed on them," the paper added.
It asked how could Hong Kong be governed in the long run if the courts failed to impcee maximum sentences.
The communist New Evening Post (25.10.75) also said that the
sentences imposed on criminals were too light.
Sarcastically it cited a recent news item where a "humanitarian" scientist suggested we should "electrocute" shellfish before boiling them to ease their sufferings, and asked: "will our friends and relatives be given the same 'humane' treatment when they are robbed?"
Wah Kiu Man Po (24.10.75) said the views expressed by Dr. Chung and Mrs. Symons on the question of capital punishment were representative of those held by Chinese and Westerners alike.
"If the British Government attaches any real importance to public opinion in Hong Kong, it should realise that the majority of Chinese and Western residents here are in favour of restoring the death penalty, 17
said.