TNAG-0845-FCO40-1055-Visits-of-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 54

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Mr Qughrau

MR Maclaren

HKG D

Pl. counds what ought

toke done to form of the

points its Blaker undertook to look wit

in

SUMMARY OF MEETING BETWEEN THE MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AND MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN EDINBURGH PLACE AT 5.45 PM ON 24 SEPTEMBER 1979

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Present:

Mr Peter Blaker MP Mr C A Munro

1.

Mr A de O Sales CBE JP (Chairman) Mr Hilton Cheong-Leen OBE JP

(Vice-Chairman)

Mrs E Elliott CBE

Dr The Hon Henry H L Hu OBE JP Mr Kenneth T C Lo OBE JP

Dr Denny M H Huang

Mr Peter Chan Chi-kwan Miss Cecilia L Y Yeung

Mr Tsin Sai-nin

Mr Ambrose K C Mr Lawrence H L Dr Kim Y S Cham Mr Stephen M L Mr Howard H W

Choi

Fung

Lau Young

Miss Maria W C Tam

Mr Augustine S K Chung

Mr JA M Tinson ISO (Secretary)

The Chairman of the Council, Mr A de O Sales, invited members present to put forward points which they wished Mr Blaker to consider.

2.

Mrs Elliott said that the Public Order Ordinance in Hong Kong was being used as a political weapon to stop protest. Even young children had been detained under its provisions. Could it not be changed?

3. Mr Kenneth Lo asked about the Vietnamese refugee situation. Was there no way in which the flow of refugees to Hong Kong could be contained? The refugees already in the Colony had placed a severe burden on the housing stock. They had occupied the equivalent of a whole year's building programme.

4.

Dr Henry Hu said that until 1973 the Urban Council had an advisory role. In 1973 it became exclusively an executive body but there had been no reform of the franchise or of the composition of the Council. Would the Government consider what could be done about the status of the Council?

5.

Dr Huang said that the Council had been frustrated for over 13 years.

Its jurisdiction had become progressively less. Housing, car parking and the market had been removed from the Council's jurisdiction by the Hong Kong Government. The Government was

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/suppressing