Mr. Moretón
Parliamentary Office
tary
with 9
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This Question by Mr. Frank Allaun is a direct follow up to a Question which he asked on 19 December, 1968 and which was answered
by Mr. Whitlock. Since that Question was answered, we have
received from the Governor the draft of a Bill to amend the Public
Order Ordinance and that draft is now being examined by the Law
Officers. This examination is liable to be somewhat protracted and
I think that it would be unwise to refer to the receipt of the draft Bill from the Governor in reply to this Question. The safest course would be to give a formal answer that there is nothing to add to the
reply given to the previous question on this subject.
2.
The Hong Kong Public Order Ordinance (copy attached) came into operation on 17 November, 1967 at the height of the disturbances which took place in the Colony during that year. Its purpose was to consolidate into one Ordinance the various provisions dealing with public order and to strengthen the law where experience had shown
this to be desirable. Active work on the preparation of the
Ordinance had been in progress for at least two years prior to its
enactment. Account was taken in its drafting of the experience gained during the 1967 disturbances, but the Ordinance was not
designed for dealing with emergencies. Of the considerable amount
of emergency legislation which it was necessary to introduce in
Hong Kong as a result of the disturbances, the only emergency
regulations which have been incorporated into the Ordinance are
those dealing with the offences of intimidation and intimidating assembly. These have been powerful weapons in the hands of the
local communists in the overcrowded conditions of Hong Kong. The
provisions to deal with them were included only after the most careful consideration and because, so long as communist organisations continue to exist in Hong Kong, there will always be a danger of
intimidation.
13.
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