the freedom of the press, that power was transferred
from the Control of Publications Ordinance to the
Public Order Ordinance. The provision is, therefore,
in no sense a new one and the result of the legislation
passed on 11 March represents a major liberalisation compared with the position before 11 March.
Secondly, I cannot accept that the legislation
was enacted with undue haste. As I have indicated, the
provision to which the Commonwealth Press Union object replaces (with variations) a provision which has been
on the Hong Kong Statute Book since 1951. The current
bills were first published in the Hong Kong Government
Gazette on 19 December 1986. Thereafter the measures
were discussed extensively between the administration
and members of the Executive and Legislative Councils.
The draft bills were very fully debated in the
Legislative Council on 11 March, when the implications
of the measures on freedom of speech in the territory
were considered in detail. Both bills were thereafter
passed by a large majority of the Council.
GEOFFREY HOWE
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