XN000022-1981-06-24 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1981

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+UNDOUBTEDLY, FUNDING FROM ALL SOURCES, WHETHER FROM THE GOVERNMENT, THE COMMUNITY CHEST, THE ROYAL HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB OR FROM PRIVATE DONORS HAVE TOGETHER ENABLED THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES TO GROW AND EXPAND AT A MUCH QUICKER PACE THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE HAD THEY BEEN ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON GOVERNMENT SUBVENTIONS.

MR HO SAID THAT THIS COLLECTIVE EFFORT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN TOTALLY OVERLOOKED, OR POSSIBLY DELIBERATELY DENIGRATED, IN THE RECENT OUTCRY.

IN CONCLUSION, MR HO SAID: + ENTIRELY AGREE THAT WE MUST CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE A VIGOROUS, PROGRESSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE VOLUNTARY SECTOR. BUT I AM BOUND TO OBSERVE THAT WITH THE RAPID EXPANSION OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES AND THE GREATER RELIANCE ON GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, THE QUESTION TO WHICH WE MUST ADDRESS OURSELVES IS WHETHER MORE SERVICES, PARTICULARLY IN THE MORE DIFFICULT AREAS, SHOULD NOT BE RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT DIRECT.+

124 DEATH SENTENCES COMMUTED TO JAIL TERMS

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DEATH SENTENCES IMPOSED ON 124 PERSONS SINCE NOVEMBER 16, 1966 HAVE BEEN COMMUTED TO TERMS OF IMPRISONMENT, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, THE HON LEWIS DAVIES SAID IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

FIFTEEN OF THE 124 PERSONS HAVE SINCE BEEN RELEASED FROM JAIL, HE SAID.

MR DAVIES POINTED OUT THAT NOVEMBER 16, 1966 WAS THE DAY THE LAST CONVICTED MURDERER WAS EXECUTED IN HONG KONG.

STATISTICS ON HOMICIDE CASES REPORTED IN THE LAST 35 YEARS WERE ALSO SUBMITTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE HIGHEST FIGURE OF 115 HOMICIDE CASES WAS REPORTED IN 1972 REPRESENTING A RATE OF 2.8 PER 100 000 POPULATION, WHILE THE LOWEST FIGURE OF 17 CASES IN 1957, REPRESENTED A RATE OF 0.6 PER 100 000 POPULATION.

UP TILL JUNE 19 THIS YEAR, THERE WERE 49 HOMICIDE CASES, HE REPORTED.

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