XN000022-1987-10-22 — Page 31

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1987

SIR DAVID: THOSE COVENANTS ARE, INDEED, WRITTEN INTO THE DECLARATION, THAT THE PROVISIONS SHOULD CONTINUE IN THE WAY THAT ARE APPLIED TO HONG KONG AT THE MOMENT.

ANSWER WHETHER CHINA

JOINT THEY

I CAN'T

WILL RATIFY THOSE, BUT THE OF WHETHER PROVISIONS REMAIN AS IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, REGARDLESS

THE HONG KONG LEGAL CHINA DOES RATIFY OR NOT. IT MEANS THAT WITHIN SYSTEM THAT THERE IS PROVISION FOR THOSE SORT OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS.

RESTRICTIVE PRESS LAW MR MOLLISON: HONG KONG HAS A NEW

THAT HAS BEEN CONDEMNED IN MANY QUARTERS. ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO REPEAL IT?

PREVIOUS

LONG HAVE

NEWS

SIR DAVID: THE FIRST ANSWER, MR CHAIRMAN, IS NO, SIR, WE DO NOT

NEW, RESTRICTIVE HAVE A

PRESS LAW. WE HAVE

A REVISED BOOKS FOR A VERY RESTRICTIVE PRESS LAW WHICH HAS BEEN ON THE

RESTRICTIVE PROVISIONS. WE TIME. WE HAVE TAKEN OUT SIX OF THE

"FALSE LEFT IN ONE. AND THAT IS A PROVISION WHICH IS CALLED THE PROVISION".

WE HAVE SAID THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR OF THAT LAW. WE WILL DO SO.

THE

APPLICATION

SEEN NO I AM BOUND TO SAY THAT IN THE PAST I HAVE

SINCE THE FREEDOM OF THE HONG KONG PRESS. DURING THIS YEAR ORDINANCE WAS PASSED I HAVE SEEN NO IMPACT ON FREEDOM OR THE OF THE HONG KONG PRESS. I DON'T EXPECT TO SEE ANY.

IMPACT ON THAT NEW ACTIVITY

MR MOLLISON: WILL THERE BE DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE NEXT OF YEARS, IF CHINA OBJECTS?

SIR DAVID: I LIKE THAT "SIMPLE" QUESTION, SIR.

(LAUGHTER)

COUPLE

AT

ALL, AS

THAT

SIR DAVID: THAT IS A MATTER OF ENORMOUS DEBATE IN HONG KONG THE MOMENT. JUST TO FILL IN SOME OF THE BACKGROUND, FIRST OF I MENTIONED WHEN I WAS SPEAKING, THE JOINT DECLARATION LAYS DOWN THE HONG KONG LEGISLATURE, AFTER 1997, WILL BE ELECTED. IT DOESN'T LAY DOWN HOW IT WILL BE ELECTED. NOW THAT MEANS THAT IT WILL HAVE TO CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE PRESENT SITUATION, WHERE PART OF IT

IT INDIRECTLY ELECTED, BUT PART OF

APPOINTED BY MYSELF,

THAT'S APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR.

19

WE

STILL

IS

HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING THIS WHICH ONE MOST ATTENTION,

IS

80,

HAS ATTRACTED

A SECOND PIECE OF BACKGROUND: YEAR A REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG, IN OF THE ISSUES, AND THE ONE WHICH SHOULD THERE BE A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT TO THE LEGISLATURE? IF WHEN SHOULD THAT HAPPEN?

/THE SURVEY