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Chris Patten: I hope it doesn't happen, but if you try to freeze people out of the dialogue about their governance, particularly if they are people who represent 60 per cent or 70 per cent of public opinion, then you have a less successful, less prosperous, less decent, less open, less dignified, and conceivably less stable society. Let me remind you of something which was said the other day. Mr Liu Han [phonetic] a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, said, quoting Mao Zedong - and I paraphrase - that if you ask people to speak up, to give their opinions. it is not a disaster, but it is a disaster if they keep quiet and are not encouraged to speak up. How does that admirable Maoist sentiment square with these decisions that we have been hearing about? I think it is very curious.
OK - thank you very much.
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Lectures on Hong Kong legal system for Guangdong Procurators
A series of four lectures on the legal system in Hong Kong are being given by senior members of the Legal Department this week in Guangzhou for Procurators in Guangdong province.
Details of the four lectures are as follows:
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"The Legal System of Hong Kong Now and Post-1997" by Solicitor General. Mr Daniel Fung, QC;
"The Structure of the Attorney General's Chambers and the work of Crown Counsel" by Deputy Solicitor General, Mr Stephen Wong Kai-yi;
"The Prosecution Policy and Criminal Justice System in Hong Kong" by Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Peter Nguyen, QC,and
"Bilingual Legislation and Localisation of Laws" by the Law Draftsman. Mr Tony Yen.
These lectures are part of a training course on the legal systems in Hong Kong and Macau organised for the first time by the Guangdong Province People's Procuratorate. A request for contribution by AGC officers was made by the Chief Procurator of Guangdong Province People's Procuratorate, Mr Wang Jun.
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