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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1169
OF 161108Z JULY 93
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT : PRESS REPORTS (16 JULY 1993)
THROUGH TRAIN
1. THE PAPERS WIDELY REPORTED REACTIONS TO NAMED ATTACKS MADE BY
DEPUTY-DIRECTOR OF THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE SIMON LI ON FOUR LEGISLATORS (RE PARA. 7 OF OUR TELNO 1156). ALLEN LEE OF THE LIBERAL PARTY SAID THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SET OF OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE 'THROUGH TRAIN. FRED LI OF THE MEETING POINT SAID THAT LI'S REMARKS WOULD UNDERMINE PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE IN THE PREPARATORY
WORKING COMMITTEE.
2. CHINESE OFFICIALS ALSO DISMISSED LI'S REMARKS AS PERSONAL VIEWS.
BOTH NCNA DIRECTOR ZHOU NAN AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG SAID THAT THE QUESTION OF THE THROUGH TRAIN, INCLUDING WHETHER A SET OF CRITERIA SHOULD BE LAID DOWN, WOULD HAVE TO BE STUDIED BY THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE AS STIPULATED IN THE NPC RESOLUTION. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED A NUMBER OF MAINLAND LEGAL EXPERTS WHO WERE FORMER BL DRAFTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE ON THE ISSUE. WANG SHUWEN AGREED THAT THERE WAS A NEED TO SPECIFY WHAT 'UPHOLDING THE BL' MEANT. THE WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD STUDY THIS ISSUE AND MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. WANG CONSIDERED THAT SPECIFICATIONS ON THE THROUGH TRAIN NEED NOT BE LAID DOWN IN LEGISLATION BUT COULD INSTEAD BE SET OUT IN A DOCUMENT TO BE PASSED BY THE NPC. XIAO WEIYUN SAID THAT SWEARING ALLEGIANCE TO THE HKSAR WAS ONLY A PROCEDURE. ANY THROUGH TRAIN HAD TO BE ENDORSED BY THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. WHEN ASKED WHETHER THIS WOULD CONSTITUTE A FORM OF POLITICAL SCRUTINY, XIAO SAID THAT THIS WAS NECESSARY AS THE PRINCIPLE OF SOVEREIGNTY WAS INVOLVED. SIMILAR REMARKS WERE ALSO MADE BY SHAO TIENREN. PRO-CHINA LEGISLATOR TAM YIU-CHUNG SAID THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WOULD WORK OUT ACCEPTABLE CRITERIA FOR THE
THROUGH TRAIN.
3. IN A STREET POLL CONDUCTED BY THE EXPRESS YESTERDAY, 76 OF THE 100 RESPONDENTS DID NOT AGREE THAT SOME LEGISLATORS HAD TO 'GET
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