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(b) Freedom of the press is a vital part of Hong Kong's way of life. It is protected and guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. The Government is fully committed to the principle of press freedom. This commitment is backed up by a comprehensive review of legislation with the aim of identifying provisions which might infringe press freedom or conflict with the Bill of Rights. Our review has covered 53 provisions in 27 Ordinances. To date, we have dealt with 43 provisions, including 31 provisions which have been amended or repealed. We have, for example, swept away old and excessive regulations to deal with emergencies while preserving the means to act swiftly to protect public safety in an emergency in ways which are consistent with the Bill of Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In other areas we have scrapped powers to pre-censor TV and radio broadcasts, relaxed Police powers regulating public meetings and processions, restricted the powers of law enforcement agencies to enter premises to search for and seize journalistic materials, and given the Press more freedom to report and comment upon court proceedings. Action is in hand to complete work on the remaining laws.
End/Wednesday, October 18, 1995