TNAG-1548-FCO40-2112-Future-of-the-Hong-Kong-public-service-1986 — Page 46

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THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS' REQUEST TO ABOUT TEN COUNTRIES TO ACCEPT THE BN (0) PASSPORT HAD MET WITH A FAVOURABLE RESPONSE. THE US, JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA HAD EXPRESSED THEIR WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE NEW PASSPORT. PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SECURITY REGINA HP SAND ON RADIO 1 THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD PRESENT DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS EXPLAINING THE NEW PASSPORT AND ASKING FOR THIRD COUNTRIES TO RECOGNISE IT, TO AMBASSADORS M-N LONDON IN SEPTEMBER.

6. LAND: SNG TAO WAN PAO QUOTED DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR GENERAL DUTHES DONALD TSANG AS SAYING THAT THE VALIDITY OF LAND LEASES WOULD BE PROTECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION. ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED MR TSANG AS SAYING THAT GOVERNMENT ALREADY HAD A TENTATIVE DEFINITION OF 'LEASES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES''. CHUNG SHUI-MING, A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE LAND COMMISSION TEAM, SAND THAT A CLEAR DEFINITION OF THESE LEASES WOULD BE REQUIRED BEFORE ARRANGEMENTS TO REVIEW MORE THAN 300,000 N.T. LAND LEASES COULD BE FMALMISED.

7. POLITICAL REFORM: COLUMNIST MARGARET NG SAID IN THE MING PAO PRIVATELY OFFICIALS DID NOT DENY THAT MANY PLANS FOR POLITICAL REFORM HAD BECOME IMPRACTICAL AS A RESULT OF PRESSURE FROM CHINA. ONE EXAMPLE WAS THE PLAN FOR A MINISTERIAL SYSTEM. GOVERNMENT HAD THEREFORE COME UP WITH ANOTHER OPTION, WHICH WAS TO SELECT OUTSTANDING LEGCO UNOFFICIALS AS ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN AND TO APPOINT THEM TO EXCO. ANOTHER OPTION WAS TO APPOINT EXCO UNOFFICIALS AS ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHARMEN. THE4R RESPONS- BILITIES IN EXCO WOULD BE THE AREAS COVERED BY THEIR COMMITTEES.

8. BILINGUAL LAWS: CHAIRMAN OF THE HK MNTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENTRE MR JUSTICE HUNTER SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ON ECONOMIC LAWS IN THE PRC, SAID THAT ENGLISH SHOULD BE KEPT AS AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IN THE COURTS HN HK AFTER 1997. THE TRANSLATION OF ALL COMMON LAW CASES WOULD BE 4MPOSSIBLE SINCE THEY WERE RECORDED N THOUSANDS OF VOLUMES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. HE SAID THAT THE LINKING OF HK TO THE COMMON LAW, THE GREATEST SOURCE OF CHVIL LIBERTIES, REQUIRED THE CONTINUED USE OF ENGLISH IN THE COURTS. ALBERT HO OF THE HK AFFM ARS SOCIETY SAND ON RADIO 1 THAT ALTHOUGH THE DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON BILINGUAL LAWS MARKED A BIG STEP FORWARD HN PROMOTING THE USE OF CHINESE IN THE LAW, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE POLICY AND TIMETABLE WAS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THIS AM.

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COMMENT.