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3. THE WISHES OF OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WOULD BE CONSIDERED HERE TO BE IRRELEVANT. IT WOULD BE FELT THAT IT WAS FOR HMG TO ACT IN THEIR RESPECT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WISHES AND TRADITIONS OF THEIR INHABITANTS, IN THIS OVERWHELMINGLY CHINESE POPULATION CHINESE TRADITIONAL BELIEF IN THE MORAL RIGHTNESS OF THE DEATH SENTENCE IS REINFORCED BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IN ALL OTHER TERRITORIES WITH PREDOMINANTLY OR SIGNIFICANT CHINESE POPULATIONS (E.G. SINGAPORE, TAIWAN AND MALAYSIA ITSELF) THE SENTENCE IS REGULARLY CARRIED OUT.
LET ALONE CHINA .
4. ANY OF THE COURSES YOU PROPOSE WOULD PLACE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HERE AND INDEED THE GOVERNMENT, IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION IN WHICH THEY WOULD APPEAR TO ACQUIESCE IN THE WISHES OF THE POPULATION BEING OVERRIDEN UNLESS THEY SPOKE OUT AGAINST HMG'S ACTION, AND SOME MIGHT FEEL OBLIGED TO DO SO. FOR ALL THESE REASONS MY FIRST COMMENT IS THEREFORE A VERY STRONG PLEA TO LEAVE THINGS ALONE AND SAY AND DO NOTHING. THE ISSUE MIGHT EVENTUALLY BE RESOLVED EITHER BY A CHANGE OF SENTIMENT IN PARLIAMENT THAT WOULD ALLOW THE CREECH JONES DOCTRINE TO BE APPLIED, OR BY SENTIMENT HERE CHANGING AND THUS ENABLING THE DEATH PENALTY TO BE ABOLISHED BY A
DECISION THAT WAS SEEN TO BE LOCAL.
5. OF THE ALTERNATIVES SUGGESTED IN YOUR PARA. 3, (V) is THE LEAST OBJECTIONABLE BECAUSE IT AMOUNTS TO NO MORE THAN AN ADMISSION OF WHAT HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS, AND SINCE IT COULD BE PRESENTED AS SUCH HERE MIGHT TROUBLE THE PUBLIC LEAST. HOWEVER THE STARK PUBLIC STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPLE WOULD COME AS A CONSIDERABLE SHOCK, AND SOME OF THE EMOTIONS OF 1972 WOULD BE RE-AROUSED. IT WOULD ALSO BE REPUGNANT TO LAWYERS.
6. BEETWEEN 3 (111) AND (IV) MY PREFERENCE IS FOR ORDER IN COUNCIL BECAUSE IT IS AN ACT OF THE XECUTIVE AND COULD NOT GIVE RISE TO SPECULATION HERE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PARLIAMENT LEGISLATING FOR HONG KONG IN OTHER FIELDS. BUT EITHER WOULD BE WORSE THAN (V) BECAUSE THEY WOULD END HOPES OF EVENTUAL
REINTRODUCTION.
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14. (11). 15 A
S A NON-
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