CONFIDENTIAL
ZCZ C
GRS
CONFIDENTIAL
IMMEDIATE
FM FCO 051645Z JUNE 85
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELEGRAM NUMBER
YOUR TELNO 1062: CALL ON MR LUCE BY WONG KWOK-WAH
1. During his call on Mr Luce on 5 June, Wong raised the objections
of the Hong Kong Journalists Association to the LEGCO (Powers and
Privileges) Bill, as you had predicted in TUR. He highlighted
the objections to paragraph 20 on defamation, arguing that there
was no similar UK Legislation covering the proceedings of
Parliament, that a Hong Kong defamation ordinance already existed
and so there was no need for these additional regulations, that
the new regulations would in fact made defamatory comment in the
case of LEGCO proceedings a criminal offence whereas defamatory
comment hitherto only been a civil offence under the defamation
ordinance, and that the new regulations would also make
defamatory comment against a group (ie LEGCO) an offence whereas
hitherto defamatory comment had only been an offence against
individuals.
2. Another concern raised by Wong was the continued existence on
the statute book of the Control of Publications Consolidation
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telegram
File number
Ordination
HKD
HKD
PS
Drafted by (Block capitais)
W G EHRMAN
Telephone number
233 4381
Authorised for despatch
Comcen reference Time of despatch
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING
DR WILSON
XY 48