TNAG-0366-FCO40-412-Visits-of-UK-Members-of-Parliament-to-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 9

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AUGUST 41K 73

MORNING POST

Yand should probe Codber case,

BY KEVIN SINCLAIR

The public has lost a great deal of confidence

in the police over the Godber affair, and this loss of confidence must be restored, a visiting Member of Parliament said yesterday.

But Mr Tom Pendry stressed he was making no complaint against the police.

At a press conference the Parliamentarians, Mr Pendry and Mr J.A. Cuanıngnam, szid they had made two suggestions about the case to senior Government cíficials:

That Scotland Yarc detectives should investigate the Goiber case. This would nex “insurmountable" difficulties, Mr present Pendry said. This suggestion had been well-

received by Hongkong officials to whom he had mentored and the MPs would pursue the matter when they return to Britain.

no

That Hon Zong should be considered in less favouracle a way than Eire in extradison matters. Britain and Eire had an arrangement whereby a person could be extradited a mugistrate issued a warrant and Hongkong-

extraditions should be treated in the same way, they indicated.

"I hope toese two suggestions will be acted upon," Mir Pendry said.

The mangemon about Sectland Yard brought a swift reaction from Goverment scurces. A spokesman welcomed" me suggestions and

sald Hongkong knew it could always rely on the fullest possible help from the Yard.

But Hongkong had no intention of making a request for assistance "at the moment."

It is known that the Commissioner of Police. Mr Charies Sutcliffe, is strongly against any outside investigators. He feels the present Anti- Corruption Branch is best equipped to handle the case.

Police and Government sources are known to feel that British detectives coming to Hongkong would be hampered because of their lack of local knowledge and language barriers.

They also point out that Scodand Yard has not had a notable degree of success in investigating serious cases in other colonies and

say

MPs

cite the lack of any arrest in the Yard-directed manhunt for the murderer of the Governor of Bermuda and the failure to solve the Seychelles bombing atrocities.

The MPs said they recognised feelings on the Godber issue were running high in Hongkong.

They had tried to recognise the frustrations and problems surrounding the case.

And, they stressed, they believed Godber should be brought back to Hongkong.

Speed was of the essence, Mr Pendry said. Mr Pendry said he was convinced that the people they had met at the top of the Government were anxious to see Godber returned to Hongkong.

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