XN000022-1988-11-11 — Page 2

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1988

GOVTS ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

REFERRING TO STATEMENTS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY A MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, TO THE EFFECT THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PREMATURELY CONSIDERED THAT MATTERS RELATING TO HONG KONG WERE NOW PREDOMINANTLY THE CONCERN OF

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) THAT SUCH REMARKS MISLEADING.

CHINA, WERE

INCORRECT AND

UNDER

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO BE BRITISH ADMINISTRATION UNTIL JULY 1, 1997. THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN

RIGHTS IN HONG KONG.

IN THEIR CLOSING REMARKS, MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE CHAIRMAN HAD EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTIVE AND POSITIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE DELEGATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE EXCELLENT PREPARATION FOR THE DIALOGUE BY THE BRITISH DELEGATION AND THE CANDID AND PRECISE ANSWERS GIVEN ΤΟ THE QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE COMMITTEE SHOWED THE RESOLVE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM TO CO-OPERATE FULLY WITH THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE.

THREE POINTS ON HONG KONG WERE HIGHLIGHTED BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN HIS OPENING STATEMENT

ΤΟ THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE ON NOVEMBER 3.

THESE WERE: THE PUBLICATION IN FEBRUARY 1988 OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S WHITE PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG; THE PUBLICATION IN APRIL 1988 OF THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW OF HONG KONG; AND THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE.

THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT MEASURES HAD BREN TAKEN TO INCORPORATE THE PROVISIONS OF THE COVENANT INTO THE LEGAL SYSTEM OF HONG KONG. APTER 1997 THE CONTINUATION OF THIS SYSTEM, INCLUDING THE COMMON LAW, WAS PROVIDED FOR BY THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION.

BE

"THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS TO SATISFIED THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THE BASIC

LAW. NOW BEING DRAFTED, SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION. BUT THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TEXT OF THE BASIC LAW,

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM HAD SUBMITTED ITS FIRST REPORT TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTER IN 1977 AND REPORTS RY 1TS DEPENDENT TERRITORIES IN 1978. THESE REPORTS HAD BEEN CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE IN 1979.

IN AUGUST 1984 THE UNITED KINGDOM HAD SUBMITTED 115 SECOND REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE. ALTHOUGH THE HONG KONG CONTRIBUTION WAS PROVIDED IN APRIL 1985, RETURNS FROM OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WERE DELAYED WITH THE RESULT THAT HONG KOND HAD то SUBMIT AN UPDATED REPORT IN DECEMBER 1987. THE UNITED KINGDOM SUBMITTED THE REPORT ON ALL OF ITS DEPENDENT TERRITORIES TO THE COMMITTEE IN MAY 1988.

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