TNAG-0258-FCO40-294-Legislation-relating-to-criminal-procedure-in-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 68

CONFIDENTIAL

are apprehensive, if Section 122 were amended to provide that

the power conferred on a court by that Section does not extend

to the exclusion from the court whilst the verdict is announced,

relatives of the accused; and I would like you to consider

this suggestion.

6. With regard to your paragraph 8 it is well over a year

now since I asked in my Saving Despatch No. 663 of 25 November,

1968, for steps to be taken to enact legislation to give effect

to the amendments proposed at that time. But meanwhile, Hong

Kong has settled down well after the trouble of 1967 and in all

the circumstances I now agree that you should wait until the

Criminal Procedure Ordinance requires other amendments before

introducing the amendments to Sections 122 and 123. trust,

however, that in any event you will see your way to arranging

for the necessary amending legislation to be enacted before

the end of 1970.

CONFIDENTIAL

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