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an amendment to the Bill which would strengthen the basis for a
successful defence to such a charge and would require the Hong Kong Attorney General's consent to a prosecution being commenced. Martin Lee remained opposed to this compromise, and obtained the support of a handful of other LegCo members to a proposal that the Bill be
further amended to place upon the prosecution the onus of proving
that the accused had published false news knowing it to be false or
recklessly indifferent to whether it was false or true. The
Administration felt unable to accept this amendment and, with the support of the majority of OMELCO, the debate (after two postponements to permit further discussion with Mr Lee and his supporters) was resumed on 11 March. By this time (and following Mr Lee's public declaration of his opposition on 27 February) the local
media were pressing for the bill to be dropped or further delayed on
the grounds that it endangered press freedom in the territory.
7.
one.
The LegCo debate, which lasted eight hours, was a highly charged
On the Public Order (Amendment) Bill, five voice votes were
taken on the second reading, a motion to adjourn, the
Administration's amendment, Mr Lee's amendment, and the third
reading. The Hong Kong Government assesses that of the appointed
LegCo members, all but one supported the bill: the elected members
were evenly divided for and against. The bill duly passed: as did
the Control of Publications Consolidation (Amendment) Bill (the
latter without opposition). The Hong Kong Journalists Association,
the News Executive Association, and the Foreign Correspondents Club
have all since announced their intention to lobby against the
measures through international press bodies and MPs, and to press
the Secretary of State and the new Governor to review and/or amend
the legislation. Sir Edward Pickering, Vice Chairman of Times
Newspapers, and Mr Biddulph, President of the Foreign Correspondents
Club, have already sent telexes to the Secretary of State: the
former to express concern at the legislation and the latter to
request that the Secretary of State should agree to see an FCC
delegate to discuss the measure. (Sir D Wilson has replied to
similar telexes to the effect that he would not wish to consider
interceding in this matter or seeing any delegation, until he has
taken up his duties in Hong Kong).
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