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likely reaction in the United Kingdom Parliament', to which he is answerable to the advice which he tenders to Her
Majesty. Recent Secretaries of State have been of the opinion that they would not be supported in the House of Commons if they were to advise that death sentences should be carried out in Hong Kong. Moreover, there are no signs that this attitude of the House of Commons is likely to change in the immediate future.
f
I well understand the sense of frustration of honourable Members, which is shared by your Government.
I am authorised by His Excellency to say that he fully recognises the fierceness of conviction with which so many residents of Hong Kong hold the view that, unless the death penalty is carried out in appropriate cases, the flood of crime and violence will not be turned back.
In recognition of these factors he has once again represented to the Secretary of State in the strongest terms the wish of Hong Kong for a restoration of the death penalty in those cases in which the circumstances of the crime leave no reasonable justification for clemency.
His Excellency has asked me to say that he accepts the fact that public opinion on this issue is so strong and so universal that a change to current practice must be made in terms which go some way to meet the genuine feelings of the community, which clearly sees this issue as a test of the determination of the Government to tackle violent crime with determination.
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