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took no further action on that occasion.
7. On 7 January a group of boat dwellers assembled to go to the Governor's residence to present a petition. Again they were warned that, since no permit had been obtained, their action was unlawful. This time they declined to disperse, and instead set out in two coaches to present their petition. Along the way the coaches were stopped by the police and the occupants were told that, while two representatives could proceed to present their petition, the rest of them must disperse. When they declined to do so, the police escorted the coaches to a police station and charged the occupants with unlawful assembly. The 76 people con- cerned appeared in court on 8 January. No evidence was offered against the 10 children involved. The 66 adults will appear for trial on 12 February. In the meantime they have been released
on bail.
8. Well established arrangements exist in Hong Kong for obtaining permits to hold public demonstrations. The police require one week's notice, but normally issue permits provided they are satis-
fied that the demonstrations are not to be held for illegal or immoral purposes, and will not represent a threat to public order. It is not necessary to obtain permission to present a petition to the Governor, provided it is not done as part of a public demon- stration. All residents of Hong Kong have an unqualified right to make petitions to the Governor on any matters of public or
private concern.
The Society of Community Organisation (SOCO)
9.
The campaign on behalf of the Yau Ma Tei boat dwellers has been coordinated by the Society of Community Organisation (Soco).
SOCO was founded in 1971 by the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Its aims are to foster a sense of community awareness, and to encourage people to participate in the solution of community problems in Hong Kong. It has a small number of paid field staff, supported by a large number of volunteers, mostly undergraduate students. Although sometimes guilty of seeking too much too quickly, it has established itself as an effective and essentially
/responsible