CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
HKA 440/1
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 679
OF 03065OZ MARCH 92
CONFIDENTIAL
*
Pa
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
5
141662
MDLIAN 9210
573
Tor Q DIST?
JPY
YOUR TELNO 596:
OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT 1989
A TA KUNG PAO COMMENTARY ON LAST WEEK'S LEGCO DEBATE ON FREEDOM OF THE PRESS (DATED 28 FEBRUARY) TAKES A SURPRISINGLY HELPFUL LINE ON THE QUESTION OF THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT. IN COMMENTING ON EMILY LAU'S SPEECH, THE ARTICLE SAYS THAT THE REVISION OF THE 1911 OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT IN 1989 ''CERTAINLY WAS NOT GETTING RID OF THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT: BUT RATHER WAS MAKING MORE CLEAR THE SCOPE OF OFFICIAL SECRETS ENCOMPASSING SIX KINDS OF MATERIAL'
''THE REVISION IS NOT GETTING RID OF SECRETS BUT IS STRENGTHENING AND MAKING MORE CLEAR THE NEED FOR PRESERVING CONFIDENTIALITY''.
COMMENT
2.
IT MAY SIMPLY BE THAT THE TA KUNG PAO WRITER FEELS HE SHOULD BE FOR ANYTHING WHICH EMILY LAU IS AGAINST: BUT IF THIS IS ANY INDICATION OF THE CHINESE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS SUBJECT THEN IT
IS ENCOURAGING.
WILSON
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
HKD
ADDITIONAL
1
LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BROOKS
DISTRIBUTION
10
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
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