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acceptable in Hong Kong.
These different attitudes
may suggest that capital punishment could be a more
effective deterrent here than in other places.
They definitely do mean that the great majority of
the Hong Kong population are convinced that the death
penalty would serve as a substantial deterrent to
violent crime. It is also the common view that even
if it does not deter, then it should be imposed as a
measure of the outrage of the community and because
it is widely believed that evil conduct should be
visited by punishment.
I can assure Members that all these realities
But unfortunately the issue does
'are understood.
not end there. Any prisoner sentenced to death in
Hong Kong has the right to petition Her Majesty The
Queen for clemency. The Queen, in reaching her
decision, acts on the advice of the appropriate United
Kingdom Minister, namely the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In tendering his
advice to the Queen the Secretary of State must take
into account the likely reaction in the United Kingdom
Parliament, to which he is angwerable, to the advice
which he tenders to ler Hajesty.
Recent Secretaries of
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