XN000022-1995-12-14 — Page 6

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These matters have a great deal more resonance, have a great deal more impact and importance because of the particular circumstances in which Hong Kong finds itself. Under normal circumstances, I don't think anybody in this Legislative Council would be particularly worried about official secrets for example. We have never, so far as my researchers can tell me, we have never actually used the official secrets legislation to prosecute anyone in Hong Kong, but because of our particular circumstances and because of events like yesterday's, this is the sort of thing which legislators are concerned about and which the whole community is concerned about, because these worries cast a shadow over people's aspirations, over people's ambitions, over people's concerns about their way of life.

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I repeat, the Legislative Council, the Administration, the Governor of Hong Kong, aren't making these anxieties up and when people give the impression that they are, to Chinese officials, or when they give the impression that these things are simply fabricated, when they're talking to people in the United States or elsewhere, they are doing a profound disservice to Hong Kong.

Mr Howard Young: Mr Governor, welcome back to Hong Kong after your many attempts. I suppose three is a lucky number.

I, myself, and many members of the legislature, and also the tourism industry, is indeed very grateful for you having raised the case of Messrs Au and Wong in the Philippines, which is an issue which has been pursued by the tourism industry for four years now, and recently upgraded to LegCo.

During your absence from Hong Kong it was shown on television that apparently during an interview with Mr Au, he seemed to convey the message that there was an option of dropping the appeal and just waiting for clemency. Now, I am a bit puzzled by that and I was wondering whether this sort of option came up during your

discussions with the Philippine authorities or whether, when your aides went and visited the two in prison, whether they had expressed any indication of what they actually desired to do in this respect?

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Governor: Can I, in expressing my gratitude to the honourable member for his gratitude that I managed to return to Hong Kong - I know that view is widely shared in Happy Valley can I say to the honourable gentleman that we are, in the Administration, grateful for the interest taken by him and other honourable members in the case of Mr Au and Mr Wong, grateful for the interest and support given by the Hong Kong Tourist Authority, and understand that until the case is resolved one way or the other, honourable members like the honourable member, and other representatives of the community, will continue to press both the Philippine authorities and the Hong Kong Government about the position in which Mr Au and Mr Wong find themselves.