香港總督府
23
лял
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
√/23/12
W
лодий
PA
с гуй
5 December 1988
HKD 301/2
Lad TeGreg,
I thought you would be interested to know the outcome of the Hong Kong Government's review of Section 27 of the Public Order Ordinance the so-called "false news" provision.
After taking into account all relevant factors, the Hong Kong Government has decided to propose to the Legislative Council that Section 27 be repealed. An amendment Bill was gazetted on 2 December and will be introduced into the Legislative Council on 14 December.
In reaching our decision, we took account of the expressions of concern by organisations such as the World Press Freedom Committee. Our conclusion was that, although the arguments which led to the retention of a "false news" provision from the previous legislation were still valid, the public misconception that this was an attempt to restrict the press meant that retention would cause concern quite
disproportionate to the value of the provision to the community.
The law can of course only be repealed if the amendment Bill is passed by the Legislative Council. But I hope that the proposal to repeal will itself be taken as confirmation that the Government of Hong Kong is not only concerned to ensure that this territory remains a bastion of the free press but also that it is seen as such.
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