Additional His roundup 21/10/05-
WP SCORRI
WARNING FROM JI PENGFE! BOTH SCMP AND HK STANDARD REPORT MONDAY FRONT PAGE THAT DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE JI PENGFEI WARNED AGAINST DRASTIC POLITICAL CHANGES DURING THE RUN-UP TO 1997. THE PAPERS SAY MR JI IS ALSO REPORTED TO HAVE TOLD THE FIVE-MEMBER TEAM LED BY SDA DONALD LIAO THAT POLITICAL REFORMS IN HK SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE BASIC LAW. HK STANDARD REPORTS THAT POLITICAL ANALYSTS SAY HA JI'S STATEMENT WOULD TEND TO SUGGEST THAT CHINA WANTS THE HR GOVT TO SLOW DOWN POLITICAL REFORMS IN THE TERRITORY UNTIL AT LEAST 1990. THIS IS BECAUSE THERE IS A TIME GAP BETWEEN THE HR GOVT'S REVIEW ON FUTURE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS AND THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW, THE PAPER ADDS. MR JI IS ALSO REPORTED BY BOTH PAPERS AS SAYING THAT UNNECESSARY CHAOS+ MUST BE AVOIDED DURING THE CHANGES.
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AM CHAM URGED TO +PRESSURE+ BILL STI ERIC HO APPEALED TO AMERICANS IN HK TO BRING ALL THEIR INFLUENCE TO BEAR ON SENATORS NOW CONSIDERING THE SENATE VERSION OF THE JENKINS BILL, HK STANDARD REPORTS SATURDAY. MR HO SAID HE EXPECTS TO BRING HOME THE SAME MESSAGE TO/THE VISITING U.S. VICE PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH BEFORE HE RETURNS TO THE U.S. +WE CANNOT AFFORD NOT MAKE USE OF ALL POSSIBLE CONTACTS TO GOOD EFFECT NOW,+ MR HO IS QUOTED AS SAYING TO AM CHAM FRIDAY, MR HO DESCRIBED THE JENKINS BILL AS +A BAD BILL BAZED ON MISINFORMATION+.
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SIR DENYS LEADS TEAM TO CHINA BOTH SCMP AND HK STANDARD REPORT MONDAY THAT CV SIR DENYS ROBERTS AND FOUR OTHER SUPREME COURT JUDZES LEFT FOR PEKING SUNDAY ON A NINE-DAY TOUR AT THE INVITATION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF PEKING. THE PAPERS REPORT THAT THEY DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR DISCUSSING SUCH SENSITIVE ISSUES AS DRAFTING THE BASIC LAW, THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY, AND THE POWER OF INTERPRETATION OF THE LAWS OF HK AFTER 1997. THE OTHER FOUR ARE MR JUSTICE TI-LIANG YANG, MR JUSTICE SIMON LI, MR JUSTICE BENJAMIN LIV AND MR JUSTICE ARTHUR GARCIA.
AUSTRALIA TO TAKE MORE VRS SCMP REPORTS SATURDAY THAT AUSTRALIA HAS AGREED TO TAKE MORE VRS FROM CAMPS IN HK FOLLOWING APPEALS FROM THE BRITISH GOVT. THE PAPER SAYS IMMIGRATION MINISTER CHRIS HURFORD TOLD PARLIAMENT THAT THE HK INTAKE WOULD INCREASE FROM 400 TO 400 AND POSSIBLY UP TO 200. HK GOVT FIGURES FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS SHOW THAT AUSTRALIA HAS RANKED EITHER SECOND OR THIRD AMONG THE COUNTRIES WILLING TO TAKE VRS FROM HERE IN TERMS OF THE INTAKE NUMBERS, SAYS SCMP.