איוט
錫恩
(MRS) E. ELLIOTT.
TEL. 3-422414
REF:
4KK 360/2
RECEIVED
DAX
INDEX
HHIGHS for ннул
BY NO. Ee Minister
- 9 MAR 1979
r
advice
55, Kung Lok Road, Kwun Tong,
KOWLOON.
YOUR
REF:
The Editor,
H.K. STANDARD, News Building,
Hong Kong.
Dear Sir,
по
PA
13.3
5th. February, 1979.
Williamson: dowe have precise details about what happened over the charging of the children? Is "X" correct?
825/
I refer to your article "Lords hear defence of Yaumati mass arrest".
(23rd. February)
The reply given to Lord Brockway by Lord Goronwy-Roberts (who seems to accept without question what he is told by the Secretariat here) stated, according
to your report, "No charges were made against the 10 juveniles."
This is a palpable lie, and the use of the word "juveniles" for young
children seems to be deliberately intended to deceive.
I personally bailed out 30 persons from Central Police Station. I examined and signed the bail papers for three of the children, aged 7, 8 and 12. On the papers
1 signed it stated clearly in English that they were being charged with "unlawful assembly", and each one bore the thumbprint of the child whose name appeared on it, indicating that the charge had been read to the child. I heard the police inform each child individually to attend the adult court at Causeway Bay next morning (8th. January); when the 12-year-old boy said he could not go as he had to go to school, he was told he must attend court.
At the time, I protested against such small children being charged with offences they did not understand, and against putting small children in an adult court. Mr. Halliday, who seemed to be in charge of the operation, said that X childr are responsible in law from the age of seven and that the charges must
stand.
I think it was the Magistrate who objected to the charges next day; no credit is due to the police or the Government for having arrested children who did not even know what was going on.
I shall inform Lord Goronwy-Roberts that he was misinformed, and also give the facts to Ford Brockway.
↓
shall
The saga from beginning to end was one of suppression of simple people with a genuine complaint, and intimidation of concerned social workers caring for the underprivileged. The policy of the Housing Authority to provide better Bousing for better-off people and ignore the needs of the poor who really need it is the fundamental cause of such unrest. One wonders how many more years it will take to get the message through.
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Yours amore?
E. Quatt
вист