WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1987
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+IF I BELIEVED THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS BILL IS IN ANY WAY A MEANS FOR GOVERNMENT TO GAG THE PRESS OR TO EXERCISE WIDE-SPREAD CONTROL OVER THE MEDIA WHICH WOULD IN TURN THREATEN OUR PRESS FREEDOM, I WOULD FIGHT AGAINST IT, HE SAID.
REFERRING TO CONCERNS ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM AFTER 1997, MR LEE SAID THIS CONCERN WAS UNDERSTANDABLE BUT HE BELIEVED PEOPLE SHOULD NOT ALLOW THE 1997 SYNDROM TO GET INTO THEIR HEADS.
+FRANKLY, THE SAR GOVERNMENT MAY MAKE NEW LAWS OR AMEND EXISTING LAWS AS THEY DEEM NECESSARY AT THAT TIME, THIS GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY MUST ADMINISTER AND ADMINISTER EFFECTIVELY IN THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE, HE SAID.
HE ADDED THAT HE HAD BEEN WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FOR NINE YEARS AND HAD HAD THE HONOUR OF SERVING HONG KONG ACCORDING TO HIS CONSCIENCE.
+1 AM PROUD OF HONG KONG AND ITS ACHIEVEMENTS. I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL, HE SAID.
BILL ROCKS FOUNDATION OF LEGAL SYSTEM
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THE PUBLIC ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL 1986 TOUCHES ON A FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE BY SHIFTING THE BURDEN OF PROOF TO THE DEFENDANT, WHICH IS VERY MUCH AGAINST BRITISH JUSTICE, THE HON K.C. CHAN SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING DURING THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE BILL, MR CHAN SAID HE WOULD VOTE +NO+ TO SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE WHICH +ROCKS THE VERY FOUNDATION OF OUR LEGAL SYSTEM AND THE FOUR BASIC FREEDOM OF HUMAN RIGHTS+.
HE SAID IT WAS VERY MUCH AGAINST UNIVERSAL JOURNALISTIC ETHICS FOR REPORTERS TO PRODUCE THEIR SOURCE OF INFORMATION, AND YET THE INFORMER MIGHT ALWAYS DENY WHAT HAD BEEN SAID.
HE STRESSED THAT FREEDOM OF PRESS AND SPEECH WAS ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AND THAT HE HAD PERFORMED HIS DUTIES OF REFLECTING PUBLIC OPINION.
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