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Mr Cheung noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) Western Pacific Region had called for a tobacco- advertising free region by the year 2000; and WHO World Health Assembly had also recommended actions to eliminate eventually all direct and indirect advertising and sponsorship concerning tobacco.
"It remains our firm belief that a combined approach of public education and legislative controls will enable us to achieve these important policy objectives," he added.
End
More options for courts to deal with the mentally illed
The Governor-in-Council has endorsed two Bills which seek to give High Court and District Court judges as well as magistrates a wider range of disposal options in dealing with accused persons who are mentally disordered, a government spokesman said today (Wednesday).
The Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 1996 and the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 1996 will be gazetted on Friday (January 19).
The spokesman said the existing provisions, based largely on the United Kingdom Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964, did not allow flexibility for the court and the magistracy to dispose of mentally disordered defendants.
"The United Kingdom Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 was widely criticised in the United Kingdom for this problem and was amended in 1992 to provide additional disposal options on top of detention in a mental hospital," he said. The spokesman said the two Bills being proposed had two main objectives.
"Firstly, for every case of an accused person found unfit to plead, it is proposed that a jury shall determine whether they were satisfied that the accused person did the act or made the omission charged.