CONFIDENTIAL
7. So far, the Chinese have not reacted at all to the
amendments to some of the less sensitive ordinances which
have already been published. As the Hong kong telegram says, it is encouraging that they did not react
intemperately to the proposed changes in the Societies
Ordinance
G
of which the most significant are the move away from the requirement for Societies to register with the
Police to a system of notification; and the narrowing of the grounds for prohibiting a society to a test of whether prohibition was (in the view of the Secretary for Security) necessary in the interests of security, or public safety or public order. The Hong Kong Government believe that this will leave them adequate powers. But it is a weakening of their previous powers, and the Chinese may yet decide to oppose it out of fear that it will enable outside political groups to use Hong Kong to campaign, eg for reform in China. They could not stop its passage through LegCo, but it could
become another bone of contention. There is, however, no
indication of that yet.
Pifchette
PF Ricketts
Andrew
8/
ALKADJ/3
CONFIDENTIAL