CONFIDENTIAL
....
Α
looked at on its merits by Home Office Ministers.) lug
Background
всё) доба hoy sentence
3. The background to this proposal is set out in Hong Kong telno 2462. Briefly, criminal gangs are importing illegal immigrants from China to commit armed robberies and other crimes of violence and then returning them to China before
they can be apprehended. The Chinese have been cooperative in trying to stop this, amongst other crossborder crime, and
have so far arrested two PRC citizens thought to be involved
in one robbery. In this case, and in a number of other
recent cases, the Chinese authorities have sought Hong Kong's assistance in providing information and evidence
which would enable them to bring the accused to trial. The problem is that for these types of offences the death penalty could result. When Hong Kong has asked for an assurance that the death penalty would not be carried out Hong Kong supplied the information, the Chinese authorities have declined to give it, saying the courts would decide.
4.
Hong Kong have concluded that they should provide certain types of assistance in cases where PRC citizens, who
are not Hong Kong residents, have been arrested in China on suspicion of having commited serious offences in Hong Kong: murder, armed robberty, drug-trafficking and illegal importation of firearms. The types of assistance provided
would include written statements, interviews of consenting
by Chinese, cfficiale witnesses in Hong Kong, physical evidence and documentary evidence. Hong Kong have also set out the procedures and safeguards that they will deploy in considering each and
in
every case
checking the veracity of the request and HKC's capability entertaining it, the Political Adviser and the Secretary for
Security will both personally consider whether they see any political or security objection to the giving of assistance.
the requerragraphshin the sundelives and that the HCE
7
Kat
are able to met it
devel
thin
mya
ROFATC/2
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 45Page 46
لا
B