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OO WASHINGTON
GRS 1471
SECRET
FM FCO 111434Z MAY 84
TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON
TELEGRAM NUMBER 895 OF 11 MAY
MKK040|1
14 MAY 1984
STHY
Son Thiken
24/58 original
on
HKK 04/11 (5
FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPT WAS
RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TEL NO 1252 OF 8 MAY 84.
BEGINS
HKX CQ6/1, INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING.
(15
MIPT: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: UMELCO VISIT TO LONDON.
THE FOLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT.
BEGINS
''STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG
EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ON 9TH MAY 1984:
THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ARE THE TWO CENTRAL ORGANS
OF THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG. UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ARE IN THE
MAJORITY IN BOTH COUNCILS. THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FROM
A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SOCIETY. THROUGH THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND THESE TWO
COUNCILS, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ADVISE ON THE FORMULATION OF
GOVERNMENT POLICIES, PARTICIPATE IN THE ENACTMENT OF LEGISLATION,
MONITOR THE EFFETIVENESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND CONSIDER
COMPLAINTS BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AGAINST GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
AS THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR RATHER THAN ELECTED,
UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS MAKE NO CLAIM TO REPRESENTATIVE STATUS, BUT THEY
ARE IN TOUCH WITH ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR
MEMBERSHIP OF OVER 300 BOARDS AND COMMITTEES DEALING WITH PUBLIC
AFFAIRS, AND WITH ALL FACETS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
LIFE. SINCE THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE FUGURE OF HONG KONG
BEGAN IN LATE 1982, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAVE RECEIVED, BOTH
INDIVIDUALLOY AND THROUGH THE EMELCO OFFICE, MANY REPRESENTATIONS
ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE AFTER 1997. SO THEY ARE IN
A POSITION TO REFLECT THE VIEWS AND WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE ON
THIS VITAL QUESTION.
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