THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1994
12
PUT
HAVE
I THINK I CAN SAY HAND ON HEART THAT VIRTUALLY EVERY PROPOSAL I
HAD ALREADY BEEN
BY FORWARD
A PUT FORWARD
MEMBER OF THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I'M PRETTY CERTAIN I CAN SAY THAT, INCLUDING
OR TO SAY
THE HONOURABLE LADY, ONE SAY TO
OF TWO MEMBERS
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NOT SITTING VERY FAR FROM THE HONOURABLE LADY. SO THE PROPOSALS WERE BORN AND BROUGHT UP IN HONG KONG AND IT WILL BE FOR THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN HONG KONG TO DECIDE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS IT WISHES TO CHANGE ANY OF THEM IN ANY WAY AS I'M DELIGHTED WHETHER THAT SO
THE WE'VE SEEN TWO BILLS PASSED THROUGH
LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL,
THAT WE'RE GOT ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THEM ON THE STATUTE BOOK.
FAR 80
MRS ELSIE TU: MAY I JUST FOLLOW-UP? I THINK THE GOVERNOR MISSED POINT THERE, THAT HE TALKED ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS ANNOUNCED BY THE KONG GOVERNMENT FROM WHICH I PRESUME THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS TO CONSULTED AND I UNDERSTAND IT WAS NOT, IS THAT CORRECT?
GOVERNOR:
THE HONOURABLE LADY WILL KNOW THE CONSTITUTIONAL THE ADMINISTRATION IS ADVISED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
THAT
COUNCIL WAS CHANGED IN OCTOBER, THE EXECUTIVE REASONS WHICH WERE SET OUT PRETTY CLEARLY AT THE TIME.
MY
HONG
BE
POSITION.
IT HAPPENS FOR THE
1992,
ABOUT THE AGO, THE
MS CHRISTINE LOH:
GOVERNOR. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU CONDITIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONG KONG TODAY. TWO DAYS SECRETARY FOR SECURITY CAME TO THIS COUNCIL TO BRIEF US ON THE RAID THAT TOOK PLACE AT THE WHITEHEAD DETENTION CENTRE ON THE 7TH APRIL. HE SAID THAT HE HAD BRIEFED BOTH YOU AND THE CHIEF SECRETARY ABOUT THE RAID.
IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW DETAILED WAS THE BRIEFING BUT IF YOU KNEW THAT OFFICERS WOULD GO INTO THE CAMP WITHOUT PREVIOUS ADVICE TO THE DETAINEES THAT THEY WOULD ONLY MOVE FROM ONE CAMP TO ANOTHER AND THAT IN THE END THEY ENDED UP USING OVER 500 CANS OF TEAR GAS, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY USED MACE AND PEPPER-FOG, WOULD YOU HAVE QUESTIONED THAT OPERATION OR WOULD YOU HAVE CONSENTED ΤΟ THAT OPERATION?
GOVERNOR:
I WOULD BE A RARE CREATURE IF I DIDN'T TAKE THE VIEW THAT IT WAS EASIER TO TAKE DECISIONS AFTER THE EVENT RATHER THAN BEFORE AND THE BENEFITS OF HINDSIGHT ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL OF US. I DON'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING TODAY WHICH WOULD IN ANY WAY INHIBIT THE INQUIRY WHICH WE'VE PUT IN PLACE WHICH I'M SURE WILL ASSIST US IN DRAWING ANY GENERAL CONCLUSIONS WHICH ARE REQUIRED FROM THIS EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT,
THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM WHICH THE ADMINISTRATION HAS AND WHICH THE CSD HAVE. THERE'S BEEN A RAPID RUN-DOWN IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, THE NUMBER OF VM'S IN THE CAMPS. I THINK THAT MOST OF US WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONDITIONS IN VIETNAM TODAY THINK THAT REMOVAL OF PEOPLE FROM THE CAMPS, THINK THAT RETURN ΤΟ VIETNAM, SHOULD IF ANYTHING BE A GOOD DEAL FASTER. BUT THE REDUCTION THE NUMBERS DOES CREATE REAL PROBLEMS OF MANAGEMENT IN THE CAMPS. DOES THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE IN MANY WAYS FOR OVERSEEING THE SPENDING OF THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY, WANT US TO GO ON WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF CAMPS EVEN AS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THEM FALLS? THE HONOURABLE LADY LOOKS SLIGHTLY PUZZLED BY THAT BUT IT IS A REASONABLE QUESTION. SHOULD WE?
IN
/WHAT ACCOUNT
...