布政司署
香港下亞厘里道
CONFIDENTIAL
DIEL
Mr Davies Pan se
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키즈
本署檔號 Our Ref.:
PA CR 11/3571/80 (91) III
äft
aft. PL",
來函檔號 Your Ref.:
L
Hugh Davies Esq
FED
F CO
737
19 December 1991
Dear Hugh,
HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA
1.
The Hong Kong Government's immediate operational interest in human rights in China tends to centre on Hong Kong residents detained on the mainland for political offences. More generally, given our particular circumstances, we steer clear of taking any prominent role on the subject. Indeed we point out the dangers of Hong Kong people involving themselves excessively in China's internal politics. In the long run however, although we cannot take the lead, improvements in China's human rights practice can only be beneficial to Hong Kong.
2.
As far as I am aware, the West has hitherto concentrated, when raising human rights in China, on the plight of individuals. Lists are often handed over. There seems to have been less concentration on the institutional and legal basis for abuses. This contrasts, I think, with the West's advocacy of human rights in the former Eastern bloc which admittedly started with lists but went on to address some of the root causes of abuses. In his telegram number 1581 of 19 September Sir R McLaren, while underlining that fundamental change will only come through political change in China (as it did in the Soviet Union), recommended that institutional and legal issues be tackled in expert discussions and by careful targetting of scholarships and technical assistance.
3.
As a personal contribution to thinking on these issues, can I suggest some areas where the PRC is especially vulnerable:
detention, shelter and investigation, which allows the PSB to detain an individual for up to 3 months without informing his or her family, and without any right for
CONFIDENTIAL