TNAG-0812-FCO40-1017-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 10

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Mr Muray

2斤

Lord Goronwy Roberté to issue

HKK 380/2

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HONG KONG : MPS LETTER MR STAN NEWENS MP, MR ROBERT PARRY MP

AND MR STAN THORPE MP

1.

On 1 February Mr Stan Newens MP (Labour/Cooperative Mr Robert Parry MP(Labour

Thorne MP (Labour

T

<<

Harlow),

Liverpool, Scotland Exchange) and Mr Stan Preston, S) wrote to Lord Goronwy Roberts about the death of Liu Ping-hon. They enclosed a letter from

who complained that the police investig- ation of the case had been inadequate and called for an independent enquiry. Lord Goronwy-Roberts sent an interim reply to Mr Newens on 15 February and on 3 April wrote again informing him that the Coroner's inquest into the death was to be reopened.

2. Mr Liu's death, which occured in rather mysterious circumstances when he fell from a high building last summer, attracted considerable public attention in Hong Kong. Sore people suspected that it might be connected in some way with his work at Yau Ma Tei Police Station (which, the Minister will recall, was the centre of one of the most publicised corruption cases in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force).

3.

The re-opened inquest was held in May and lasted for three days. We have only just received a transcript of the hearing.

Once more, as at the original hearing, the jury returned an open verdict. After examining the transcript, I do not believe that the jury could have returned any other verdict: there is simply no evidence as to how Mr

Liu came to fall.

4.

complained

as

In his original letter to Mr Newens specifically about the inadequacy of the original police investigation of the incident. This does appear to have been rather cursory, is shown by the evidence on pages 10 and 11 of the transcript.

15.

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