WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1990
THE MOTION READ: "THIS COUNCIL NOTES WITH CONCERN THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE ALLEGED SMUGGLING OF THREE MERCEDES BENZ MOTOR CARS ON MAY 3, 1990, THE TEMPORARY DETENTION OF TWO HONG KONG POLICEMEN AND THE FOUR-WEEK-LONG DETENTION OF FIVF HONG KONG SEAMEN IN THE L'EOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN RELATION TO THAT ALLEGED SMUGGLING"
IN MOVING THE MOTION, MR LEE SAID TRUTH AND THE RULE OF LAW WERE THE TWO MOST (RETICAL INGREDIENTS OF CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG.
HE SAID: IF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WERE TO THINK THAT THEIR PRESENT OR FUTURF GOVERNMENT IS NOT HONEST OR THAT THE RULE OF LAW WILL NOT BE UPHELD, THEN HOW CAN ONE EXPECT THEM TO HAVE FAITH IN
FUTURE OF HONG KONG?
OF LAW
THE
AND
"IN THE PRESENT SITUATION, HOWEVER, BOTH THE RULE TRUTH HAVE SO FAR BEEN SACRIFICED FOR POLITICAL REASONS, So AS ΤΟ GIVE 'FACE' TO ONE OR THF OTHER OF THE GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED.
"YET, I ASK, WHAT GOOD IS 'FACE' TO A GOVERNMENT WHICH EVEN FACE THE TRUTH?"
MR LEE ALSO CRITICISED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FOR NOT PUBLIC THE PHOTOGRAPHS WHICH POLICE TOOK SHOWING UNT FORNED PERSONNEL IN HONG KONG WATERS DURING THE INCIDENT.
CANNOT
MAKING CHINESE
HE ASKED WHY THE GOVERNMENT HAD ACCEPTED PASSIVELY THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES' WAY OF HANDLING THE CASK.
"IF THE RULF OF LAW 18 SO FLAGRANTLY VIOLATED SEVEN YEARS BEFORE 1997 AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DOES NOT EVEN OBJECT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER 1997?" HE ASKED.
MR LEE CRITICISED THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FOR INFRINGING THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF HONG KONG AS THERE WERE DOZENS OF OCCASIONS IN WHICH CHINESE MILITARY PERSONNEL HAD ENTERED HONG KONG WATERS.
"IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAS NEVER CONTENDED THAT THE ARMED AND UNIFORMED PERSONNEL WERE EITHER IMPOSTERS IN UNIFORM OR SOLDIERS PERFORMING UNAUTHORISED ACTIVITIES.
"THE ONLY POSSIBLE CONCLUSION, THEN, IS THAT THE CHINESE UNIFORMED PERSONNEL WERE ACTING UNDER ORDERS FROM SUPERIOR OFFICERS TO SMUGGLE THE CARS INTO CHINA. SUCH A SCENARIO IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
IF THE CURRENT HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS SUCH LITTLE POWER ΤΟ PREVENT SUCH INCIDENTS FROM HAPPENING OR BRING THE PERPETRATORS ΤΟ JUSTICE, OR GIVE CONSULAR PROTECTION TO THE FIVE CREWMEN WHO WERE WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN CHINA, WHAT CAN ONE EXPECT OF THE FUTURE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION GOVERNMENT?" HE SAID.
MR LEE ASKED THE GOVERNMENT TO ANSWER FULLY A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ON THE INCIDENT.
/THESE INCLUDED