15
X
3.
A/
BI
the Diplomatic Privileges (Extension) Act 1944
Section 1. Although I disagree with the statement
in (22) that H. M. G. are legally bound to grant such
privileges and immunities in Hong Kong, I think
}
that they are under as strong a moral obligation to
grant them in Hong Kong as they were to grant them in
the U.K. I think, therefore, that, unless there are
special reasons for not doing so, the Governor should
be asked to ensure that the necessary legislation is
passed in Hong Kong; this would take the form either
of an ad hoc Oruinance dealing only with U.N.R.R.A.
or, as is suggestea in (22), of an Ordinance couched
in general terms on the lines of the Diplomatic
Privileges (Extension) Act 1944 (suitably modified)
with power for the Governor to apply the Oruinance to any
appropriate organization by Proclamation (the Governor
could the apply the Ordinance to U.N.R.R.A.).
It is not clear from (15) and the enclosure to
(22) over what precise point difficulty has arisen in
Hong Kong. In para. 1 of (15) the Governor states
that it has been requested "that members of U.N.R.R.A.
staff should be allowed to import supplies for their
own use free of import duty". If this means that
U.N.R.R.A. as an organization should be allowed to
import supplies free of duty for the use of its own
staff the request is in accorda..ce with Resolution
No. 32 I (1)(c) of the Council of U.N.N.R.A. (sup.cit.)
and such a privilege was in fact granted to U.N.N.R. A.
(Extension) in the U.K. (Diplomatic Privileges Act 1944, Schedule
Part I para. 4 and S. R. & 0. 1945 No. 79 Article 2).
If, on the other hand, the request is that individual
members of U.N.R.R.A. should be allowed to import
supplies free of import duty, no such privilege is either
recommended in Resolutions 32 to 36 of the Council of
U.N.R.R.A. (Sup. Cit.) or provided for in the
Diplomatic Privileges (Extension) Act 1944. Such a
privilege/
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