XN000022-1994-05-02 — Page 6

MONDAY, MAY 2, 1994

"SOME ISSUES

5

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OPEN AND FAIR ELECTORAL

HAVE PROVED DIFFICULT, BUT EVEN THESE

ARRANGEMENTS FOR EXAMPLE BEING DEALT WITH STEADILY.

—

ARE

HE NOTED THE SECOND IMPORTANT FACTOR OF THE 1980S WAS CHINA'S RE-OPENING TO TRADE AND INVESTMENT, WHICH CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN.

AS A RESULT, HONG KONG HAS RE-EMERGED AS AN ENTREPOT FOR CHINA- TRADE ON AN ALTOGETHER LARGER SCALE, ENJOYING UNPRECEDENTED

PROSPERITY.

ON THE SUCCESS OF THE TERRITORY, THE GOVERNOR SAID HONG KONG'S OPENNESS, ITS CARING, THE INDUSTRY OF THE PEOPLE AND THE ENTERPRISE OF ITS BUSINESSMEN WERE ALL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

"THIS OPENNESS ΤΟ CHANGE AND NEW IDEAS. AND READINESS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WORLD AT LARGE HELPS MAKE HONG KONG A VERY EFFECTIVE CONDUIT FOR DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA", THE GOVERNOR SAID.

MR PATTEN ENCOURAGED CANADIAN BUSINESSMEN TO MAKE USE HONG KONG AS A STEPPING STONE IN INCREASING ITS BUSINESS WITH CHINA.

LEGAL DEPARTMENT TAKES OVER PROSECUTIONS FROM POLICE

ALL PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS IN MAGISTRATES' COURTS WILL BE HANDLED BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT WHEN IT TAKES OVER PROSECUTION DUTIES FROM THE POLICE IN NORTH KOWLOON MAGISTRACY TODAY (MONDAY).

A LEGAL DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID WITH THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT'S COURT PROSECUTORS TO NORTH KOWLOON MAGISTRACY, WHICH WAS THE LARGEST AND BUSIEST MAGISTRACY IN HONG KONG OPERATING 11 COURTS, 11 POLICE OFFICERS WOULD BE RELEASED FROM PROSECUTION WORK TO PERFORM POLICE DUTIES.

OUTLINING THE BACKGROUND OF THE TAKEOVER, THE SPOKESMAN SAID COURT PROSECUTORS ARE PUBLIC OFFICERS APPOINTED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL UNDER THE MAGISTRATES ORDINANCE (CAP. 227) ΤΟ CONDUCT PROSECUTIONS ON HIS BEHALF BEFORE A MAGISTRATE.

HE SAID THE COURT PROSECUTOR GRADE WAS FIRST CREATED IN 1977 IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT FOR A PILOT SCHEME TO BE CONDUCTED IN TWO MAGISTRACIES TO TEST WHETHER PROSECUTION WORK, WHICH WAS CARRIED OUT BY POLICE OFFICERS, COULD BE PERFORMED BY CIVILIAN OFFICERS OF THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.

THE PILOT SCHEME WAS PROVED TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AND IN 1979, THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT THE SCHEME ON A PERMANENT BASIS AND TO GRADUALLY EXTEND IT TO ALL MAGISTRACIES, HE SAID.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID COURT PROSECUTORS HAD TO MONTHS' FULL-TIME TRAINING BEFORE THEY COULD INDEPENDENTLY IN MAGISTRATES' COURTS.

CONDUCT

UNDERGO NINE

PROSECUTIONS

/HE SAID