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064377
MDLIAN 6489
RIGHTS JOINT COMMITTEE SAID THAT THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS COULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS FOR THE PUBLIC, AND THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE A FREEZE PERIOD. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, EMILY LAU, SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND LEGCO MEMBERS SHOULD STRIVE FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE HUMAN RIGHTS LAW AND ENSURE THAT THE BILL WOULD HAVE SUPREMACY AND BE ENTRENCHED. LEGCO MEMBER SELINA CHOW DENIED THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND LEGCO HAD BOWED TO PRESSURE FROM CHINA BUT STRESSED THAT HK PEOPLE SHOULD ACCEPT THE POLITICAL REALITY THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DRAFT A BILL OF RIGHTS SUPREME OVER OTHERS.
ELECTIONS
7. THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID FORD, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT INTRODUCE COMPULSORY VOTING FOR THE 1991 ELECTIONS AND THAT IT WAS HIGHLY DEBATABLE WHETHER DEMOCRACY SHOULD BE PRACTISED THROUGH COMPULSION.
VISITS
8. SPECULATION MOUNTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS (8-11.11) OVER A VISIT TO HK BY A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING. IT WAS, HOWEVER, CONFIRMED (13.11) THAT A GROUP OF FIVE OFFICIALS OF THE HK AND MACAU OFFICE, LED BY A DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF A DEPARTMENT UNDER THE OFFICE, CHEN ZUO'ER, WOULD VISIT HK FROM NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 1. A SCHEDULED VISIT BY NPC CHAIRMAN WAN LI TO BRITAIN FROM NOVEMBER 17 TO 24 HAD TO BE CANCELLED BECAUSE MR LI WAS NOT WELL, ACCORDING TO TA KUNG PAO. THE EXPRESS (9.11), QUOTING SOURCES, SAID THAT THE GOVERNOR WOULD VISIT PEKING AT THE END OF JANUARY NEXT YEAR AND THAT HE WAS EXPECTED TO MEET OFFICIALS OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY AND THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, THE SOURCES SAID THAT THERE WAS A SENSE OF URGENCY ABOUT THE VISITS OF SIR DAVID AND LU PING. THE MEDIA (12.11) NOTED THAT SIR DAVID FORD LEFT HK FOR A TEN-DAY TRIP TO PROMOTE HK IN THE US AND CANADA.
NCNA HK BRANCH
9. A COMMENTARY IN THE HK ECONOMIC TIMES (8.11) SAID THAT THE NCNA HK BRANCH HAD ALREADY COMPLETED ITS RESHUFFLE OF LEADERS. AS THE FOUR NEW VICE DIRECTORS, PAN ZENGXI, WANG PINGING, SHENG GUOXIONG AND QIN WENJUN, AND THE ADVISER, RONG KANG, WERE ALL EXPERIENCED AND HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS, IT INDICATED THAT THE CHINESE ATTACHED MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO THE ROLE OF THE AGENCY.
LOCAL NPC DELEGATES
10. A LOCAL DELEGATE TO THE NPC, LIU YIU-CHU, SAID THAT IF THE
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