TNAG-0471-FCO40-536-Use-of-Chinese-as-an-official-language-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 31

CONFIDENTIAL

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CHINESE LANGUAGE ISSUE IN HONG KONG

1.

As foreshadowed in Executive Council decision of 18 December

and its attached Memorandum, Hong Kong has passed an Official

Languages Bill which formally declares Chinese as well as English

as an official language. This embodies the final and main

recommendation of the Chinese Language Committee to confirm by

law the equal status of English and Chinese.

2. The Bill gives both English and Chinese equal status as the

official languages for use in communications between the

Government and public, and makes it possible for Chinese besides

English to be used in Magistrates and Juvenile Courts, in Labour

Tribunals and Tenancy Tribunals and in any inquiry by a Coroner.

The only exceptions to the application of this Bill are

proceedings in the Full Court, Supreme Court and the District

Court which will continue to be in the English language only.

This does not however affect the right of any party or witness in

proceedings in those courts to use such language as he may wish.

3. The Official Languages Ordinance will complete the

implementation of the recommendations of the Chinese Language

Committee on this issue. The Committee reported in 1971 and

since then Hong Kong have accepted and put into effect the

majority of the recommendations contained in the first 3 reports

CONFIDENTIAL

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