TNAG-1690-FCO40-2340-Hong-Kong-legislation-regarding-the-control-of-publications--1987 — Page 143

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Ceage soter

Attorney General:

Sir, as to the first part of that question,

I understood that this was a question that was put down for

oral reply and indeed I have given Members of this Council my

oral reply. As to the second, the answer is that, as I have

already indeed, when I answered a previous

indicated

are

question in this Council, public interest considerations

taken into account when prosecution decisions are taken and

may well be relevant at the investigation stage as well.

But, Sir, I have already indicated that in the two particular

that Mr. LEE has referred to, the primary consideration

is that which I have indicated.

MI.

JACKIE CHAN (in Cantonese):

Could the mass media take

this as a precedent in order to decide how they should report

news and if this is the case, will it defeat the original

purpose of the Public Order Ordinance ?

Attorney General:

sir, I have

already

indicated what I

conceive to be the the

purpose of this legislation. If cases

arise in which there appear to be no more than

no more than disputes about

what was said in the course of an

an interview to a reporter, I

do not think that that

is ordinarily

criminal law.

the

business of

the