TNAG-0189-FCO40-225-Chinese-marriages-in-Hong-Kong-1969 — Page 23

RECEIVED IN

ARCHIVES No.31

9 DEC 1968

KONG

HONG

BAR

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HONG KONG BAR ASSOCIATION

HAIRMAN:

GERALD DE BASTO

SECRETARY:

HENRY LITTON

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The Right Hon. The Lord Shepherd, Minister of State,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Whitehall,

London, S.W.1., ENGLAND.

Dear Lord Shepherd,

Mr. Gaminara R

SECRETARY'S CHAMBERS

218 MARINA HOUSE

HONG KONG

TELEPHONE: H-230425

3rd December, 1968

I understand that your Department may have an interest in the current proposals for legislation in respect of Chinese Marriages in Hong Kong. accordingly sending herewith a copy of a report on the subject prepared by a sub-committee of this Association late last year and pbulished a few months ago, in the hope that it may prove useful to you.

I am

You will note that the report consists largely of comment on the proposals advanced by the Hong Kong Government in recent years in various reports and white papers. It was the understanding of the Bar Committee that constructive criticism of these proposals would be welcomed and would enable legislation on this subject to proceed on the broadest possible basis of well-informed opinion. It is with some dismay that we understand that legislation will now be pushed ahead without any real opportunity for serious discussion of the important issues involved. Very little attempt has been made by Government to discuss, let alone answer, any of the points brought out in the Association's report.

The Sub-committee on Chinese Marriages feels that if legislation goes ahead on the basis of such proposals as the Government has made public ( and I should add that we have had no information whatever as to the nature of any draft legislation) a number of very important issues will have been ignored. It is particularly unfortunate, we think, that Govern- ment departments which have little or no direct experience of the legal problems of marriage and divorce should see fit to court the advice of members of the

MINISTER OF STATE

Reca. 6/12

To

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BAR COMMITTEE

GERALD De basto

• JOHN J. SWAINE

WILLIAM CHAN

ROBERT WEI

· RICHARD MILLS OWENS

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