་
The
Privy Seal,
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
King Charles Street,
London SW1
141 Cloudesley Road,
London N.1.
4th June 1982
See 187
Dear Sir,
The banning of homosexuals from employment in public services
in Hong Kong
I am writing to you on behalf of the Law Reform Committee of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. We note your reply to the Parliamentary Question on the above subject (copy attached) tabled by Mr Roland Moyle MP on 3rd March 1982, and would be most grateful for further clarification. Mr Moyle's question asked whether "the Hong Kong Government secretariat confidential circular No 106/82 barring homosexuals from employment in public services in Hong Kong accords with the obligations of the Hong Kong Government under Article 25(c) of the United Nations International Convention (sic) on Civil and Political Rights". With the greatest of respect, your reply did not, in our view, answer this question. It stated rather that the circular would be applied in accordance with the Covenant. It is possible to interpret this response in two ways:
1. That the circular does not accord with Article 25(c). This
would account for the distinction drawn between the content of the circular, and its application. If this interpretation is correct the circular would not, presumably, be applied. 2. That the circular does accord with Article 25(c) of the
Covenant, and that the distinction made in your reply between the circular and its application was not intended to have any significance.
If the first interpretation is correct we would be grateful for confirmation that the circular will not be applied. If the second
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