TNAG-1005-FCO40-1254-Capital-punishment-in-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 74

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191812

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MvDonaul

-Mr-Ure

PS/Mr Ridley

Private Secretary

CONFIDENTIAL

HONG KONG : CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Problem

A

1.

B

9 AUG 1981

10

ITBR IGN ICR

To reply to two letters to the Prime Minister from the Chairman

of the Yau Ma Tei City District Tsim Sha Tsui Area Committee about

capital punishment in Hong Kong.

Recommendation

2.

I recommend that a single reply to both letters be sent as in

the attached draft. If No 10 agree, the reply could issue from the

department. A draft to the Private Secretary /No 10 is attached.

Background

3. The Yau Ma Tei City District Tsim Sha Tsui Area Committee

wrote to the Prime Minister in June pressing for an extension of

Sir Murray MacLehose's term of office. Mr Alexander sent a standard

reply on 23 June. The Committee, referring back to this corres-

pondence, has now addressed two separate letters to the Prime Minister

on capital punishment in Hong Kong.

4.

The background to the issue of capital punishment in Hong Kong

is set out in Mr Clift's submission of 31 July and his minute of

D, E 4 August,

C

4 August, following which Mr Ridley wrote to Sir S Y Chung.

5.

The draft reply to the two letters is necessarily non-committal

as capital punishment in Hong Kong is a delicate issue which Mr Ridley

has still to discuss with the Governor (on 25 August).

17 August 1981

H McQuade

Hong Kong and General Department