TNAG-1602-FCO40-2198-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1987 — Page 25

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THE HK SAR ON A MAP. IN ANOTHER ARTICLE, THE PAPER SUGGESTED THAT

A SEPARATE GROUP SHOULD BE FORMED TO DEAL WITH THIS AND RELATED

ISSUES. IT ADDED THAT BEFORE A CONCLUSION WAS DRAWN, , THE EXIST TERMINOLOGY COULD BE USED OR BE PUT IN QOUTES. WHERE CHANGES WERE

NECESSARY, THEY SHOULD BE INTRODUCED STEP BY STEP.

16.

TA KUNG PAO SAID THAT THE TERM ''NEW TERRITORIES' EMERGED ONLY

AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE THREE TREATIES BY WHICH THE BRITISH

OCCUPIED HK. IT WAS THEREFORE INACCURATE TO SAY THAT THE NEW

TERRITORIES HAS SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL BEEN PART OF THE TERRITORY

OF CHINA. THEREFORE, THE TERM SHOULD BETTER BE AVOIDED.

17. SING TAO JIH PAO SAID THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL POINT OF THE JD WAS

TO KEEP HK'S SYSTEMS AND LIEFSTYLES UNCHANGED. IT WAS THEREFORE

UNNECESSARY TO CONSIDER WHETHER PLACE NAMES SUCH AS THE NEW

TERRITORIES SHOULD BE CHANGED. CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN THAT THE

CONFIDENCE OF HK PEOPLE REGARDING THE PROMISE OF ''50 YEARS NO

CHANGE'' WOULD NOT BE UNDERMINED.

18.

THE ORIENTAL DAILY SAID IT UNDERSTOOD THAT THE HKG HAD BEEN

TRYING TO PHASE OUT THE USE OF THE TERM ''NEW TERRITORIES!'. THE

PAPER QUOTED SOME OBVIOUS EXAMPLES E.G. THE NAMING OF THE REGIONAL

COUNCIL AND THE RENAMING OF ITS EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT TO REGIONAL

SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

19. SEVERAL PAPERS REPORTED THAT THE HEUNG YEE KUK UNANIMOUSLY

OBJECTED TO THE OMISSION OF THE TERM ''NEW TERRITORIES'' FROM THE

PREAMBLE OF THE BL. CHAIRMAN LAU WONG-FAT SAID THAT MATTERS WHICH

DID NOT AFFECT THE STATE'S SOVEREIGNTY SHOULD NOT BE TAMPERED WITH.

20. MING PAO SAID IN AN EDITORIAL THAT THE BL SHOULD EXPRESSLY

PROTECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF HK PEOPLE. BUT THE ULTIMATE SAFEGUARD

WOULD BE THE EFFORTS OF HK PEOPLE THEMSELVES: ONLY WHEN THEY WERE

READY TO FIGHT FOR THEIR OWN, AS WELL AS OTHERS: COULD IT BE SAID

THAT THESE RIGHTS WERE SECURED.

21.

IN A SEPARATE ARTICLE, MING PAO QUOTED HKU LAW LECTURER JOHANNES CHAN AS SAYING THAT THE PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 11 OF THE

BL AS DRAFTED COULD NOT ADEQUATELY PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS FROM BEING INFRINGED UPON BY THE LEGISLATURE. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE TWO INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE BL, OR ALTERNATIVELY THE BL SHOULD PROVIDE

THAT THE RIGHTS PROTECTED BY CHAPTER 111 SHOULD BE INTERPRETED IN

ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPIRIT OF THESE TWO COVENANTS.

22. WEN WEI PO SAID THAT PEKING FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE WISH OF HK PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW THE BL WOULD SPECIFICALLY PROVIDE FOR HK'S HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY, AND HOW IT WOULD PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF INDIVUALS.

THE EARLY

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