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8. THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP ON THE BILL OF RIGHTS PROPOSED THAT A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION BE SET UP TO MONITOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BILL. IT ALSO BELIEVED THAT THE FREEZE PERIOD ON THE BILL SHOULD BE REDUCED TO ONE YEAR AND THAT A SCHEDULE SETTING OUT LAWS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE BILL SHOULD BE DRAWN UP.
9. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (14.6) REPORTED THAT THE FCO AND THE HK GOVERNMENT HAD DIFFERENT VIEWS REGARDING HOW THE LETTERS PATENT SHOULD BE AMENDED TO ELEVATE THE STATUS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS, THE PAPER SAID THAT THE FCO WAS INCLINED TOWARDS MIRRORING THE WORDING OF THE BASIC LAW IN THE LETTERS PATENT BUT THE GOVERNMENT HOPED THAT THE AMENDMENT WOULD BE MORE FLEXIBLE. A HK GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL CONFIRMED THAT THE FCO HAD PASSED ON THEIR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO HK AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING WHETHER SUCH PROPOSALS WERE APPROPRIATE.
10. CHAIRMAN OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK LAU WONG-FAT SAID THAT HE SUPPORTED THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AS PROPOSED UNDER THE DRAFT BILL OF RIGHTS BUT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER WHETHER THE BILL HAD INFRINGED ON ARTICLE 40 OF THE BL AND THE JD, TA KUNG PAO (20.6) REPORTED. MR LAU SAID THAT THE BILL WOULD AFFECT TRADITIONAL PRACTICES RELATED TO INHERITANCE FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES RESIDENTS AND WOULD GIVE RISE TO DISPUTES.
ELECTIONS
11. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (20.6) SAID THAT CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS BRANCH HAD PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE ELECTORAL LAWS TO SET OUT IN A SCHEDULE THAT HOLDERS OF CERTAIN PUBLIC OFFICES WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO STAND IN ELECTIONS.
12. A PAS OF THE BRANCH, FRANCIS HO, SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT, WOULD REVIEW THE ELECTORAL LAWS AFTER THE 1991 ELECTIONS SO AS TO ALLOW LEGISLATORS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, LIKE NPC DELEGATES, TO STAND IN HK'S LEGCO ELECTIONS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION.
OTHERS
13. A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HK BRANCH, ZHANG JUNSHENG, REITERATED THAT THE NCNA SHOOTING INCIDENT WAS A SERIOUS MATTER AND THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO INVESTIGATE THE CASE THOROUGHLY AND REPORT IT TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND HK PEOPLE. WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON REMARKS BY AN FCO SPOKESMAN IN HK, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, THAT THE NEWS AGENCY DID NOT ENJOY DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES, MR ZHANG DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE REMARKS DIRECTLY AND SAID THAT NEWSMEN SHOULD ASK MR OSBORNE WHY HE HAD MADE SUCH
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