5 -
Governor: Well, if anybody takes the case to the Privy Council, if they are able to do so, and I am sure they would want to study the terms of the judgment before making that decision. We would obviously wish to contend whatever they were saying even if it went to the Privy Council, but it's difficult for me to say whether that is possible or likely until we've actually had a chance of studying the precise terms of the Court of Appeal's decision. All I would say, again, is that we welcome that decision. We think it's a judgment which makes sense and I very much hope that our contacts with the Vietnamese migrants' lawyers will mean early re-detention.
Question: The Legco members have drafted a human right report, so why did the government not include them in the first place?
Governor: Well, we are having a dialogue with Legislative Council members about the content of the report that we submit under the international covenant and that's what happens in every other community as far as I know. And what we are doing in Hong Kong shows, perhaps a more open dialogue about this matters than happens elsewhere.
Question: Will they be forcibly re-detained?
Governor: I very much hope that we'll be able to work sensibly with their lawyers and see their peaceful re-detention as soon as possible. Throughout this case, we have behaved with maximum care, and maximum concern for judicial process and I think we should expect that the lawyers of the Vietnamese migrants will co-operate, now that the Court of Appeal has made the decision clear.
Question: When will you visit Vietnam?
Governor: That is a decision which hasn't been made. I've been invited, I've been invited to a lot of places. But we have to work these things out in a reasonable order. There was a recent visit, as you know, to Vietnam by our Secretary for Security which I know he found very useful. One reason why it would make sense for me to go to Vietnam at some stage is because of the close economic and trade relationship that we have with Vietnam. As I said, we are just about the biggest investor in Vietnam and there's a lot of commercial and economic business to discuss with them. Thank you very much.
End/Wednesday, April 12, 1995