TNAG-0402-FCO40-448-Review-of-the-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 107

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Mr Wilford PS My Royle B.

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THE DEATH PENALTY IN HONG KONG

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1 The draft DOP paper submitted with my minute of 18 June

contains the sentence: "But in April this year (the Governor)

decided in a particular case that this was no longer possible,

this particular decision happened to come immediately before

the debates on the death penalty in general and in Northern

Ireland". This was changed, I think in Mr Royle's office, to

read: "But this particular decision happened to come between

the debates on the death penalty in general and in respect of

Northern Ireland", and it has appeared in the final DOP paper

in the latter form.

2. In fact the first version is correct. The Governor's

decision was dated 10 April (Hong Kong telegram No 380). The

debate on Mr Taylor's motion was on 11 April (Hansard Col 1332)

and the debate on the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions)

Bill was on 14 May (Hansard Col 1025).

3. The point does not matter in the context of the DOP

discussion which will be concerned solely with our policy for

the future. I therefore do not think there is any need to

amend the paper itself. But the true sequence of events does

have a bearing on the question whether the Governor knew or

could have been warned of what was happening in Parliament.

/I suggest

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