XN000022-1987-07-08 — Page 9

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1987

"WE ARE TODAY

CONCERNED WITH A

FUNDAMENTAL

FREEDOM,

THE

OF

THE

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, WHICH HAS BEEN ENSHRINED IN ARTICLE 19 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.

"AS WE

KNOW, ALL

THIS INTERNATIONAL

COVENANT ENSHRINED IN THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION AND NO DOUBT ALSO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE BASIC LAW,'

MR LEE

SAID FREEDOM

"

HAS

BEEN

IT WILL

NOT ONLY ΤΟ FAVOURABLY RECEIVED OR REGARDED AS THOSE ALSO TO

OF

OF

EXPRESSION APPLIED

INDIFFERENCE,

BUT

INFORMATION OR IDEAS THAT WERE

AS A MATTER INOFFENSIVE OR THAT OFFEND, SHOCK OR DISTURB.

"SUCH ARE THE DEMANDS OF

THAT PLURALISM, TOLERANCE

AND

BROADMINDEDNESS WITHOUT WHICH THERE IS NO TRUE FREE SOCIETY.

SERIOUSLY CONSIDER

WHETHER

MR LEE ASKED THE COUNCIL TO POLITICAL CENSORSHIP OF FILMS WAS REALLY NEEDED TODAY AND, IF ALLOWED, WOULD NOT IN THE FUTURE BE WHAT SAFEGUARD COULD THERE BE THAT IT

THEATRE AS WELL AS THE PRINTED EXTENDED TO COVER TELEVISION, THE MEDIA?

"IF ONE FREEDOM IS LOST TODAY, NO OTHER FREEDOM IS SAFE IN FUTURE," HE SAID.

THE

EDITOR OF THE SOUTH

A JAYAWICKRAMA,

LAW NOTED THAT SRI THE STAGE OF POLITICAL CENSORSHIP OF

MR LEE ALSO REFERRED TO A LETTER TO THE

BY DR. PUBLISHED TODAY CHINA MORNING POST LECTURER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, IN WHICH HE LANKA HAD PROGRESSED BEYOND FILMS.

OUT THAT

DR. JAYAWICKRAMA

WAS

THE ACTING

TO

MR LEE POINTED ATTORNEY GENERAL OF SRI LANKA IN 1970; AND THE PERMANENT SECRETARY THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE IN SRI LANKA FROM 1970-1977.

"PLEASE LET US TAKE HEED AND LEARN LANKA," MR LEE SAID.

FROM THE EXAMPLE OF

SRI

OF INCOMPATIBILITY

THE

ON THE

GOOD RELATIONS CLAUSE WITH

THE ARTICLE 19 OF

POLITICAL INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND

SHOW THAT THE RIGHTS, MR LEE SAID: "IT IS FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO

ΤΟ EXIST GOOD RELATIONS CLAUSE IS NECESSARY BEFORE IT CAN BE ALLOWED

THE SAID ARTICLE AS AN EXCEPTION TO THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION UNDER 19".

DOES NOT MEAN *USEFUL' Į IN THIS RESPECT ALL

"IN THIS CONTEXT, THE WORD 'NECESSARY' 'REASONABLE' OR 'DESIRABLE'. THE LEADING CASES

A PARTICULAR SHOW THAT NO MATTER HOW USEFUL, REASONABLE OR DESIRABLE

CONCERNED, IT WILL BE RESTRICTION IS IN THE VIEW OF THE GOVERNMENT

HAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN INFRINGEMENT OF THE SAID ARTICLE 19 UNLESS IT BEEN ESTABLISHED THAT THERE IS A PRESSING SOCIAL NEED' FOR IT.

+

"FURTHER, THE ................