TNAG-0401-FCO40-447-Review-of-the-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 20

territories.

As for the dependent territories other

than Hong Kong where the nenalty was. still retainoć,

their legislative assemblies had made their views

absolutely clear. RG intended to respect that.

This left Hong Kong which did not have a legislative

assembly. But there was overwhelming evidence from

all forms of expression of nublic opinion, from the

official and unofficial members of the Executive and

Legislative Councils and from the Governor that a great

majority of the neonle of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong

Government itself firmly supported the retention of the

death penalty. The House should bear in mind the

differences between the situation in Hong Kong and

in the UK. The Goverment believed that the matter should

be judged by the situation there and by the views of the

Hong Kong Government. They zonosed to unhold the

Hong Kong Goverment's retention of the death penalty.

3.

After a statement and a debate, a free vote would

be allowed. It would not really be nossible to have

a whinned vote. It might be necessary to have senarate

votes on Hong Kong and on the other territories.

4.

The advantage of taking this action would be that

it would present the issue to the House, in a straight-

forward way and in the atmos-here which would be quite

different from that of a debate after a hanging in Hong

Kong. The value of doing this would depend on the outcome

of the free vote. I think that a number of neonle

CONTIDENTIAL

/assess