TNAG-1310-FCO40-1667-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 56

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18709 - 1

$69)

OO WASHINGTON

GRS 1471

SECRET

FM FCO 111434Z MAY 84

TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON

TELEGRAM NUMBER 895 OF 11 MAY

MKK040|1

14 MAY 1984

STHY

Son Thiken

24/58 original

on

HKK 04/11 (5

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF DEPT WAS

RECEIVED FROM HONG KONG TEL NO 1252 OF 8 MAY 84.

BEGINS

HKX CQ6/1, INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING.

(15

MIPT: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: UMELCO VISIT TO LONDON.

THE FOLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT.

BEGINS

''STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG

EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ON 9TH MAY 1984:

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS ARE THE TWO CENTRAL ORGANS

OF THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG. UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ARE IN THE

MAJORITY IN BOTH COUNCILS. THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FROM

A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SOCIETY. THROUGH THEIR MEMBERSHIP AND THESE TWO

COUNCILS, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ADVISE ON THE FORMULATION OF

GOVERNMENT POLICIES, PARTICIPATE IN THE ENACTMENT OF LEGISLATION,

MONITOR THE EFFETIVENESS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND CONSIDER

COMPLAINTS BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AGAINST GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

AS THEY ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR RATHER THAN ELECTED,

UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS MAKE NO CLAIM TO REPRESENTATIVE STATUS, BUT THEY

ARE IN TOUCH WITH ALL SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR

MEMBERSHIP OF OVER 300 BOARDS AND COMMITTEES DEALING WITH PUBLIC

AFFAIRS, AND WITH ALL FACETS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

LIFE. SINCE THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE FUGURE OF HONG KONG

BEGAN IN LATE 1982, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAVE RECEIVED, BOTH

INDIVIDUALLOY AND THROUGH THE EMELCO OFFICE, MANY REPRESENTATIONS

ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE AFTER 1997. SO THEY ARE IN

A POSITION TO REFLECT THE VIEWS AND WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE ON

THIS VITAL QUESTION.

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