XN000022-1988-05-31 — Page 24

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TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1988

WONG WING-TAI (SING TAO WAN PAO): YOU SAID YESTERDAY THAT THE BASIC LAW FIRST DRAFT IS NOT PERFECT. 30 DO YOU THINK THAT IT'S CONVERGENT WITH THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION?

SIR GEOFFREY: 1 THINK THAT I CAN ONLY REPEAT WHAT I SAID YESTERDAY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ENORMOUS DETAIL OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH THAT REPRESENTED A TREMENDOUS ADVANCE FROM SOME OF THE VERY BASIC IDEAS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY SET OUT IN THE COURSE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS, THEN YOU HAVE TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STAGE AND SEE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE JOINT DECLARATION IS BEING TRANSLATED, TRANSMITTED INTO THE BASIC LAW.

VERY

AND THE POINT 1 MADE YESTERDAY IS THAT A VERY, SUBSTANTIAL ACHIEVEMENT IS ALREADY OBVIOUS. A GREAT DEAL OF IT HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED INTO THE BASIC LAW, AND AGAIN AS I SAID YESTERDAY, ALMOST VERBATIM, BUT THE WORK IS NOT COMPLETE.

THERE ARE AREAS THAT NEED то BE EXAMINED FOR COMPLETENESS, AREAS THAT NEED TO BE EXAMINED FOR CONSISTENCY. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CONSULTATIVE PERIOD. IT'S TO GET ACROSS CONCERNS OF THAT KIND CLEARLY AND COMPREHENSIVELY TO CHINA AND THOSE CONCERNED WITH THE PRAFTING. AND AGAIN AS I SAID YESTERDAY, BRITAIN WILL CERTAINLY PLAY ITS PART IN THAT PROCESS, BECAUSE WE HAVE A CLEAR INTEREST AND REASON TO DO JUST THAT.

CARMEN LUK (TVR): SIR, LAST YEAR MORE THAN 300 HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE REFUSED ENTRY TO BRITAIN. SOME PEOPLE ALSO COMPLAINED THAT THEY WERE UNFAIRLY TREATED AT CHECKPOINTS IN LONDON. DO YOU AGREE THAT THESE CASES ARE UNDERMINING THE CONFIDENCE OF HONG KONG PEOPLE TOWARDS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND WILL YOUR ADMINISTRATION DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

SIR GFCFFREY: WELL, THE POSITION IS THAT THERE IS NO POSSIBLE QUESTION

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG PEOPLE AND ANY COMPLAINTS OF THE KIND THAT YOU HAVE MENTIONED SHOULD BE AND ARE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED. IT'S EQUALLY TRUE, OF COURSE, THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM IS NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT OPERATES, AND HAS ΤΟ OPERATE, CONTROL OF INFLOW IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER PEOPLE WHO CAMK ARRIVING AS VISITORS ARE IN FACT ARRIVING FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

AND YOU'LL FIND THAT EVERY COUNTRY AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING HONG KONG OF COURSE, DOES HAVE THAT KIND OF SYSTEM NECESSARILY IN PLACE. WE WILL GO ON IN RELATION TO PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG MAKING SURE THAT ANY POSSIBLE COMPLAINT IS THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED, BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE TO HAVE ANY UNJUSTIFIABLE COMPLAINTS.

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