TNAG-1585-FCO40-2159-Hong-Kong-prisons-and-prisoners-1986 — Page 159

B

5.

-3-

THIS IS A COPY DSR 11C

THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN

CLOSED UNDER

FOI EXEMPTION NO..

40. (2)

The categories of cases in which we refuse or restrict

passport facilities are listed in DSP 25, 1.2. They have

made

been known to Parliament on various occasions.

Although

Item 2 in the list refers to persons "for whose arrest a

warrant has been issued in the United Kingdom", para 1.2.3

explains that the governors of dependent territories apply

similar principles to the refusal of passports. In

case it would be unreasonable for us to

expect the authorities in Hong Kong to issue him a travel

document which would enable him to evade justice in Hong Kong

Equally it would be wrong for us to arrange for a passport

or emergency passport to be granted by some other post, in

bypass contravention of the normal practice, and so avoid the

Hong Kong authorities, being involved.

6.

Mr Morris's earlier involvement in

case,

to which reference is made in the final paragraph of

Ms Phelan's letter, arose when he was one of a group of

Members of Parliament who visited Taiwan in January 1985.

Mr Heathfield of ATT mentioned the case to Mr Morris, not

because he had doubts about

the latter

guilt or the

sentence imposed on him but because he appeared to have

suffered some injustice. It appeared that because

was unfamiliar with the local judicial procedures, he had

lodged an appeal against his original sentence and

consequently had forfeited the right to earn any; parole

'points' during the period before his (unsuccessful) appeal

was heard. Mr Morris made some representation to the

Taiwanese authorities, although in fact it seems this only

to bring up

against

served in a fresh charge of entering the country on a false

passport being brought against

for which he

17.

received an additional but concurrent, sentence.

}