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RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.52
25 JUN1974
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10KK3/548/12/
Secretary of State
#KIOD 60
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HONG KONG
74/6
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ANSONT AT.
5.
The death penalty presents us with substantial political difficulties. The Governor has represented to me that public opinion in Hong Kong is strongly in favour of the death penalty
in extreme cases and does not understand why executions are prevented, as it thinks, for UK reasons that have nothing to do with Hong Kong.
All my advice indicates that the Governor's assessment of the situation in the Colony is correct. On the other hand I do not believe that it would be possible for Ministers to allow another execution to take place in Hong Kong. There has been none since 1966 and last year Sir Alec Douglas-Home advised The Queen to use Her residual Prerogative of Mercy to reprieve a Hong Kong murderer who would otherwise have hanged.
6.
The Governor has been able to persuade his Executive Council to acquiesce in reprieves in all subsequent cases. But this has rested on no more than his own statement to them of his belief that HMG would not countenance another exccution. If he is to hold them to this line he needs confirmation from us that his judgment is correct. Even this may not be enough to persuade Executive Council, and I fear that sooner or later we shall be faced with a cunflict on the point hatwoan Hong Kong and the lik
7. Meanwhile, I think that we should also explore with him the possibility of tightening up penal sanctions other than the death penalty, to help him cope with the very real problem of rising crime, particularly violent crime, in Hong Kong, and marginally at least, to blunt the edge of the popular demand for the death penalty.
24 June 1974
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