TNAG-1397-FCO40-1869-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1985 — Page 88

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7 people meeting in a 6-member group

On July 17, two days after the 'visit' and 'naming' of members, the Basic Law Drafting Committee members in Hong Kong held its first meeting on the Consultative Committee and appointed a six-member working group to draft a constitution for the Consultative Committee.

According to information leaked out after the meeting, the six-member group was formed in the following manner: At first, it was proposed at the meeting that members of the Drafting Committee from the legal circles be appointed to draft the constitution; of the Drafting Committee's local members, four are from the legal circles. Later, it was proposed that someone from the NCNA should also sit on the group. As a result, there were five members. Finally, someone at the meeting put himself forward and said that if there was no objection, he would also like to join the group. In the end, a six-member group was formed. The six members were Justice of Appeal Simon Li (convenor), barrister Martin Lee, lawyer Liu Yiu-chu, barrister Maria Tam, NCNA Deputy Secretary- General Mao Junnian and Professional Teachers' Union chairman Szeto Wah.

However, it turned out that there were seven people at the 6-member group's first meeting on July 23. The extra person was Yang Sheng, deputy editor-in-chief of the NCNA's Hong Kong Branch.

The NCNA explained that Yang Sheng was invited to attend the

within six-member group's meeting in accordance to a resolition passed by the preparatory meeting of July 17. Yang Sheng, deputy editor-in-chief of the NCNA's local branch and acting head of the branch's Coordination Department, had accompanied the Hong Kong members of the Drafting Committee to Beijing in early July. When meeting in Beijing, most of

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