(a) the Offences at Sea Act 1799 (1799 c. 37 U.K.);

(b) the Admiralty Offences (Colonial) Act 1849 (1849 c. 96

U.K.);

(c)

the Territorial Waters Jurisdiction Act 1878 (1878

c. 73 U.K.); and

(a)

sections 686 and 687 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894

(1894 c. 60 U.K.).

Explanatory Memorandum

The purpose of this Bill is to amend the criminal law so as to

localise the criminal jurisdiction of the Hong Kong courts in

relation to crimes committed at sea and in certain places elsewhere.

2. Clause 2 amends Part III of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200) by

inserting three new sections (23A to 23C). In particular

(a) new section 23A is an interpretation provision;

(b)

(c)

new section 23B(1) localises section 1 of the Offences

at Sea Act 1799 (1799 c. 34 U.K.), section 1 of the

Admiralty Offences (Colonial) Act 1849 (1849 c. 96

U.K.) and part of section 686 of the Merchant Shipping

Act 1894 (1894 c. 60 U.K.) by extending the criminal

law to criminal acts taking place on board Hong Kong

ships on the high seas. As a result criminal acts

which are justiciable in Admiralty courts and are now

triable in Hong Kong by virtue of a jurisdiction

conferred by United Kingdom enactments will be triable

by Hong Kong's courts because they will become

offences under the law of Hong Kong itself;

new section 23B (2) localises the Territorial Waters

་་་་་་་་་་་ ་་་་་པ་«w ་་ ་་ ་་ ་ ་ ་ ་ བ་ ་ བ་ ་་-

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