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The Honourable M YEUNG Po-kwan's motion to amend is taken word for word from a counter proposal, by the Administration during a meeting with the ad hoc group on, the 20th April

1988.

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The proposal appeared to be an improvement on the ad hoc groups own proposal to the Administration which was objected to by the Administration until that very meeting when it put forward its own counter proposal. first blush, the Administration's proposal appeared to be

to take into únobjectionable in that it requires the Censor account Article 19.

At

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clause

I did not then see the full significance of the inter-play

clause between Section 10(2)(c) which confers a power on the Censor to ban a film on the grounds that its exhibition would seriously damage good relations with other territories, and the Honourable YEUNG Po-kwan's proposed section 10(3)(d) which provides that the Censor shall take into account Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which deals with the principle of freedom of expression. However, I am now convinced that a combination of the two sub-sections will not ensure that the Censor's new powers, or his exercise thereof, will not infringe Article 19.

clanse

That being so, the enactment of Section 10(2)(c) and

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Section 10(3)(d) as proposed by the Honourable

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YEUNG

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Po-kwan will be in contravention of Article 19.

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My proposed amendment requires the Censor to comply with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Indeed, I do not claim originality of this formula because it was based on a joint representation of the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Law Society of Hong Kong. In proposing my amendment, I am greatly indebted to the Vegal profession in Hong Kong, and I am happy to take up

their cause as I find myself in complete agreement with it.

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