XN000022-1994-12-28 — Page 4

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Some of the measures being examined by the working group include:

wrappers;

all indecent articles have to be enclosed with properly sealed opaque

the name and address of the publisher must be printed on the opaque wrapper and front cover to facilitate identification in case the publication contravened the COIAO;

the warning notice to be displayed, both on the opaque wrapper and the indecent article, must be at least 20 per cent of the size of the front cover;

to give Police and Custom and Excise officers the power to seize, in public places, indecent articles that may constitute evidence of a breach of the COIAO;

to create a new provision under the COIAO to make it an offence to possess indecent articles that contravene the law for the purpose of publication;

and

* another new provision to be created to stipulate that a publication will be rendered obscene or indecent if one of the articles in it is obscene or

indecent.

Mr So said the Government intended to bring these legislative amendments to the COIAO before the Legislative Council as soon as possible. "We hope to take these legislative amendments to the Legislative Council in early March 1995," he indicated.

He emphasised that the three-prong approach was aimed primarily to protect young persons from the corruptive influence of indecent articles by making it more difficult for them to gain access to such article. This approach is not meant to restrict adults' freedom of access to the reading material they desire.

End/Wednesday, December 28, 1994