UNCLASSIFIED
134634
MDLIAN 0209
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NCNA HK BRANCH AND THE OFFICE.
10. IT WAS REPORTED (24.11) THAT A DELEGATION OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LED BY THE VICE HEAD OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENT, CHEN ZOU'ER, ARRIVED IN HK. THE SUNDAY MORNING POST (25.11)
REPORTED THAT IN A MOVE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND PROMOTE BETTER CONTACT WITH HK PEOPLE, HUNDREDS OF MAINLAND OFFICERS WHO HAD SERVED IN CHINESE ORGANISATIONS IN HK AND MACAU WERE TO BE RECALLED OR GIVEN EARLY RETIREMENT BY PEKING.
COURT OF FINAL APPEAL
11. LEADER OF A DELEGATION OF THE LAW SOCIETY TO CHINA DONALD YAP
QUOTED JI PENGFEI AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE ATTACHED MUCH IMPORTANCE TO THE MATTER AND THAT THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL
SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED BEFORE 1997. THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT, DUAN MUZHENG, TOLD MR YAP THAT THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL OF THE SAR COULD INTERPRET LOCAL LAWS AND THAT
THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT WOULD NOT TAKE PART.
BILL OF RIGHTS
12. IT WAS NOTED (24.11) THAT BOTH THE LAW SOCIETY AND THE BAR
ASSOCIATION URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO SHORTEN THE FREEZE PERIOD FOR THE BILL AND ASKED LEGCO TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF 'PUBLIC EMERGENCY' AS LAID DOWN IN THE ICCPR AND THAT IT SHOULD BE DEFINED AS WHEN THE LIFE AND EXISTENCE OF HK WAS THREATENED TO BE MORE IN
LINE WITH THE PROVISION IN THE BL. THE BAR ASSOCIATION SAID THAT
THE DEFINITION SHOULD BE CHANGED TO 'SPECIFIC TIMES WHEN HK'S
LIFE WAS THREATENED.
GENERAL COMMENTS
13. THE CHIEF SECRETARY WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE
LOCALISATION PROCESS IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE UP TO 1997 UNTIL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BL WERE MET. A MEMBER OF A URBAN COUNCIL DELEGATION TO CHINA, PETER CHAN, QUOTED LU PING AS SAYING THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN SHOULD HOLD MORE TALKS ON HOW THE 20 PERCENT OF THE SEATS IN THE FUTURE SAR LEGISLATURE WOULD BE ALLOCATED TO EXPATRIATES OR HK RESIDENTS WHO HAD THE RIGHT OF
ABODE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
14. A VISIT BY CHINESE VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER TIAN ZENGPEI LONDON WAS REPORTED (21 AND 22.11) IN MODERATE COVERAGE. IT WAS NOTED THAT HE MET DOUGLAS HURD, FRANCIS MAUDE, LORD CAITHNESS, AND MEMBERS OF THE SINO-BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY GROUP. ISSUES RELATED TO SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS, HK AFFAIRS AND THE NEW AIRPORT