TNAG-0912-FCO40-1122-Policy-on-housing-and-resettlement-in-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 72

amnesty international

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International Secretariat, 10 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HF, England Telephone: 01-836 7788 Telegrams: Amnesty London Telex: 28502

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Sir Murray MacLehose

Governor and Commander in Chief

Government House

HONG KONG

my 13.7 there long

Geral Dev

HKK 360/2T1a/,

360/2017/

6 July 1979

12 JUL 1979

Dear Sir Murray,

...

I would like to draw your attention to the cas of several Hong Kong residents who have been arrested recently and charged with "unlawful assembly" under the Public Order Ordinance of Hong Kong. Under it, apparently, any gathering of three or more people, regardless of their purpose, can be regarded as "unlawful assembly".

Amnesty International understands that the first occasion on which convictions have been recorded against those found guilty under the Ordinance occurred in February this year when 11 people were convicted of "unlawful assembly" for organizing a group of 65 boat dwellers at Yaumati to present a petition at the Government House. It is reported that, when they were arrested, the group (which included 10 children, was on board two coaches hired for the occasion. Thus it is not clear how public order would have been disturbed. Whereas most of the petitioners were later discharged, a conviction was recorded against the 11 organizers (including a Roman Catholic priest, a doctor, social workers and students) who were bound over to keep the peace" for 18 months. Furthermore, while the case was being heard in court, two other people were arrested for participating in a sit-down protest outside the court in support of the defendants. They were charged under the Public Order Ordinance with putting up an illegal banner and ignoring a police order to remove it.

More recently, four other people were charged and sentenced for "unlawful assembly" under the provisions of the Ordinance. They are Leung Kwok-hung, a 20-year-old garment worker, who was sentenced to two months in prison; Chang Chun-wah, a 23-year-old student, sentenced to three months; Wong Chung-ching, a 21-year-old shopkeeper, sentenced to three months; and Hou Man-wan, a 30-year-old delivery worker, sentenced to two months. The four are members or sympathizers of a

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Amnesty International is a worldwide human rights movement which works impartially for the release of prisoners of conscience: men and women detained anywhere for their beliefs, colour, ethnic origin, sex, religion or language, provided they have neither used nor advocated violence. Amnesty International opposes torture and the death penalty in all cases without reservation and advocates fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners. Amnesty International is independent of all governments, political factions, ideologies, economic interests and religious creeds. It is financed by its membership and by subscriptions from all parts of the world. Amnesty International has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), UNESCO and the Council of Europe, has cooperative relations with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, and has observer status with the Organization of African Unity (Bureau for the Placement and Education of African Refugees).