WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1987
42
IN
"THIS PROVIDES A COLLECTIVE SAFEGUARD AGAINST THE EROSION OF VALUABLE COMMON LAW FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND ENCOURAGES CONFIDENCE THE DURABILITY OF HARD WON PERSONAL FREEDOMS, MR THOMAS SAID.
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WITH
THE
SECONDLY, A RELATIVELY SMALL TERRITORY SUCH AS HONG KONG A POPULATION OF ONLY 5.5 MILLION PEOPLE NEEDS EXPOSURE TO JURISPRUDENTIAL WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE OF LARGER JURISDICTIONS IF ITS OWN COMMON LAW IS TO DEVELOP IN A ROBUST MANNER AND RESPOND TO THE COMPLEXITY OF MODERN SOCIETIES, HE SAID.
"OTHERWISE WE MAY LOSE THE SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE THAT IS 80 IMPORTANT TO OUR STANDING AS AN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE," HE SAID.
THIRDLY, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID, HONG KONG'S TIES WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH GIVE IT ACCESS TO THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES THAT OTHER COMMON LAW JURISDICTIONS ARE ABLE TO OFFER.
"THE HIGH STANDARDS THAT HONG KONG HAS ACHIEVED IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE CAN ONLY BE MAINTAINED BY MAKING USE OF THE BEST THAT IS AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE.
"OUR COMMONWEALTH LINKS HAVE ENABLED US
ᅡᅡ
то
ESTABLISH A FIRM
BASIS ON WHICH THIS CAN CONTINUE, MR THOMAS SAID.
ITS
HAVE
JUST AS HONG KONG BENEFITS IN VARIOUS WAYS, SO "MULTIFARIOUS AND EXTENSIVE" CONNECTIONS WITH THE COMMONWEALTH HELPED THE TERRITORY ΤΟ SHARE THE FRUITS OF ITS ENDEAVOURS AND EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER COMMON LAW JURISDICTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1983 HONG KONG HOSTED THE SEVENTH COMMONWEALTH LAW CONFERENCE WHEN SOME 2,000 DELEGATES FROM 45 COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES CAME TOGETHER. IN ADDITION TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE WORK INVOLVED IN HOSTING THE EVENT, TO WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAVE ITS FULL SUPPORT, LOCAL LAWYERS CONTRIBUTED A LARGE NUMBER OF PAPERS ON TOPICS OF SIGNIFICANCE TO THE COMMONWEALTH GENERALLY.
TO
"HONG KONG IS DELIGHTED то HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON LAW TRADITION WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH, MR THOMAS SAID.
"
AS TO THE FUTURE, HE SAID THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION GUARANTEES THE CONTINUED APPLICATION OF THE COMMON LAW IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997.
"THIS IS INDEED ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT JOINT DECLARATION.
PROVISIONS OF THE
THE
"CONTINUED CLOSE LINKS WITH OTHER COMMON LAW JURISDICTIONS WILL BE VITAL TO THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMON LAW IN HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, HE SAID.
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MR THOMAS SAID THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG'S LINKS WITH THE COMMONWEALTH IS A MATTER OF CONCERN FOR ALL.
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