UNCLASSIFIED
174701 MDLIAN 8045
8. THE MEDIA (19.7) ACCORDED WIDE COVERAGE TO DETAILS OF THE REVISED DRAFT OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNMENT. MOST REPORTS NOTED THAT THE REVISED BILL PROPOSED A BLANKET FREEZE FOR ONE YEAR. IT WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A SELECTIVE FREEZE OF NO LESS
THAN ONE YEAR ON LEGISLATION LISTED IN A SCHEDULE TO BE DECIDED BY
LEGCO. BUT LEGCO WOULD BE ALLOWED TO EXTEND IT WHEN NECESSARY.
9. THE REVISED BILL MADE NO EXEMPTIONS FOR THE ICAC AND NEW TERRITORIES RESIDENTS AS IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE GOVERNMENT MAINTAINED THAT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF MALE LINE INHERITANCE FOR NEW TERRITORIES INDIGENOUS RESIDENTS EXEMPTED FROM THE BILL. CHAIRMAN OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK SAID THAT THE KUK WAS STUDYING SOME PROVISIONS OF THE BILL WHICH WOULD INFRINGE ON THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF COLLECTIVE LAND OWNERSHIP IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, SOME PAPERS (19.7) REPORTED, QUOTING A HK CHINA NEWS AGENCY DISPATCH. HE SUSPECTED THAT THESE PROVISIONS DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE JD AND THE BL. LEGCO MEMBER MARTIN LEE SAID HE WAS STILL DISSATISFIED WITH THE REVISED BILL BECAUSE IT WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO PUT THE LAWS ON ICE FOR ONE YEAR OR MORE, THE MEDIA (21.7) REPORTED. CONVENOR OF THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP ON THE BILL OF RIGHTS SELINA CHOW SAID THAT AMENDMENTS WERE ACCEPTABLE. FORMER BLDC MAINLAND DRAFTER XU CHONGDE, SAID THAT IF THE BILL OF RIGHTS TO BE PASSED IN LEGCO WAS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE BL, IT WOULD BE REVOKED AFTER 1997, A FEW PAPERS (23.7) REPORTED. HE SAID THAT THE BL WOULD NOT BE CHANGED TO COMPLY WITH EXISTING HK LAWS.
ELECTIONS
10. THE GAZETTING OF SIX BILLS PROVIDING FOR NECESSARY LEGISLATION FOR THE THREE SETS OF ELECTIONS NEXT YEAR WAS REPORTED IN THE MEDIA (21.7) IN GOOD COVERAGE.
SHOU NAN ON AIRPORT
11. NCNA HK DIRECTOR ZHOU NAN SAID THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO BUILD A NEW AIRPORT IN THE TERRITORY BUT THAT THE WHOLE PROJECT SHOULD BE APPROACHED IN A RESPONSIBLE AND CAUTIOUS MANNER, THE MEDIA (21.7) REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE. MR ZHOU HOPED THAT THE HKG WOULD LISTEN TO VIEWS EXPRESSED BY ALL PARTIES ON VARIOUS MODELS FOR THE PROPOSED AIRPORT PROJECT. HE SAID THAT AS THE PROJECT WOULD GO BEYOND 1997, THE CHINESE DID NOT WISH THAT THE PROJECT WOULD BECOME A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE OF HK. NOTING THAT EXPERTS IN CHINA WERE NOW STUDYING INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT SUPPLIED BY THE HKG, HE HOPED THAT FINDINGS OF THE STUDIES WOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE HKG FOR REFERENCE.
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