TNAG-0189-FCO40-225-Chinese-marriages-in-Hong-Kong-1969 — Page 77

"NEW RECOMMENDATION NO. 9: ON THE CHINESE MARRIAGE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE

Intention:

To remove from the statute book a piece of legislation which has become anachronistic and which gives the ap- pearance of being discriminatory.

Recommendation:

Repeal the Chinese Marriage Preservation Ordinance, Cap. 178."

83. The Sub-Committee agrees that this piece of legislation ought to be repealed as an anachronism.

"NEW RECOMMENDATION NO. 10: ON PRESENTATION

Intention:

To ensure that any approved policy and recommendations with as wide a margin as possible of public understanding acceptance.

Recommendation:

If and insofar as the preceding Recommendations may be approved, Government should then take special steps to try to ensure that both before and after the introduction of any new legislation there is the widest possible public realization and acceptance of Government having no inten- tion of abolishing existing forms of Chinese Marriages, and that in practice the main changes would be:

(1) the need to register any marriage, under a new and simplified procedure, if it is to be recognized as valid in law;

(2) the introduction of a minimum age for marriage;

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