BACKGROUND
CONFIDENTIAL
1.
Council
(Powers and Privileges) Bill was
Bill attached).
It
The Legislative
introduced into LEGCO on 15 May (copy of
provides inter alia for freedom of speech and debate in the Council,
for immunity from legal proceedings in respect of Council debates or
reports, and for freedom from arrest for either civil debt or а
criminal offence while attending the Council. It regulates the
conduct of strangers in and around the Council chamber and provides
for the calling of witnesses to attend before the Council and its
committees.
2. The Hong Kong Journalists Association has voiced
voiced concern over
certain sections of the Bill to the LEGCO ad hoc group studying the
Bill. They made the following points:
a)
That the sections of the Bill dealing with defamatory and
unauthorised publications were already covered by the Hong
Hong Kong
defamation ordinance. They were afraid that the further provisilons
in the Bill would be us ed to stifle medi a comment on
activities.
LEGCO
b) That the section dealing with the entry of strangers was already covered by LEGCO Standing Orders and was unnecessary.
c)
That the section preventing acts of "intentional disrespect"
would be hard to define and could be used to limit what could be
published.
d) That it was ironic that the Council should be granted freedom of
speech while the same freedom was being denied to the media.
e) The ad hoc group said in reply that they would consider the
Association's views and discuss them with the Hong Kong Government.
UMELCO issued a press release recording this meeting
meeting with the
Association on 3 June (copy attached).
3.
The Hong Kong Government is
amendments to the Bill at the moment.
considering these and other
They do not plan to publicise
CONFIDENTIAL