TNAG-1208-FCO40-1511-Compulsory-acquisition-of-land-in-the-Kowloon-Walled-City-1982 — Page 34

CODE 18-77

Mr Burton

HK&G Dept

done Reference 26

b

CONFIDENTIAL

Step! 16 P426/10

HKK361 ||

LAND IN THE KOWLOON WALLED CITY(3)

1.

INDEX

T

26.9/10 Af 291

HKK301|1

Mr Margolis' letter of 23 July summarises certain legàl arguments, and he refers to the Crown Solicitor's five page opinion enclosed with his letter of 31 December 1981. Since they have gone into these questions in some detail I think that © 1981 it would be better for them to see the full text of my advice, rather than to give them one short paragraph which attempts to summarise it. I should therefore prefer paragraph 3 of your draft letter to be replaced by the following:-

13

4

'I attach copies of minutes by the department's legal counsellor dateḍ 30 July (in which he expresses certain preliminary views) and 1 October. In the latter he concluded, on the basis of the historical material we were able to produce, that the extent of the UK's rights under the treaties to govern the Walled City was uncertain'.

7. Burrows

25 October 1982

CONFIDENTIAL

F Burrows

Legal Counsellor