CONFIDENTIAL
39
004776 MDHIAN 8755
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 738
OF 27110OZ FEBRUARY 90
HKC01213
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
- 1 MAR 1990
DESK OFFICER
PA
REGIST
Action ken
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
FOR HKD
35
YOUR TELNO 438: BASIC LAW: PUBLIC LINE
TOP COPY DIST?
1 WE ARE PREPARING ANALYSES OF THE ''SATISFACTORY'' AND ''UNSATISFACTORY'' POINTS IN THE BASIC LAW ON AN ISSUE-BY-ISSUE BASIS. THESE WILL BE FAXED TO HKD.
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2. THERE ARE SEVERAL ARTICLES WHICH ARE NOT/NOT ENTIRELY SATISFACTORY, BUT, BEARING IN MIND OUR GENERAL LINE THAT THE BASIC LAW IS ON THE WHOLE AN ACCEPTABLE REFLECTION OF THE JD, WE THINK WE SHOULD CONFINE OUR LIST OF ''UNSATISFACTORY'' ISSUES TO THE MAJOR ONES RAISED IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S LETTER TO QIAN OF DECEMBER 1989 AND THROUGH THE FIFOOT/SHAO CHANNEL (I.E. ARTS 2 AND 12, ART 19, ART 22 (PARA 4), ART 64, ART 106, ART 157 AND JD 85) PLUS THE NEW ISSUES OF ART 24(4) AND THE NATIONALITY/RIGHT OF ABODE REQUIREMENT FOR LEGCO MEMBERS.
3. TO GIVE A BALANCED PRESENTATION OF THE BASIC LAW, THE BULL POINTS COUR TELNOS 677 AND 678) WILL NEED TO BE SUITABLY HIGHLIGHTED. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ONES WILL THEREFORE BE INCLUDED IN OUR LIST OF ''SATISFACTORY'' ISSUES.
4. PARA 4(B) OF TUR: WE WILL REPORT CURRENT CONCERNS ON THE BASIC LAW ONCE A CLEARER PICTURE HAS EMERGED.
WILSON
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