TNAG-1692-FCO40-2342-Hong-Kong-legislation-regarding-the-control-of-publications--1987 — Page 26

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during a public debate,

or by somebody standing on a soap box

in Victoria Park.

It is therefore clear that this Bill does not simply

newspapers as it did originally in section 6

Publication Consolidation Ordinance but it

affect the local

of the Control of

will clearly affect the community at large.

It is regrettable that the Administration does not

seem to have appreciated this or else it would not have gone

into the second reading of this Bill without having the widest

possible public consultation.

to the

Let us now turn to the rationale behind this series

amendment to our press law. The reason proffered by the

Administration is in effect that of redundancy.

And although the Chief Secretary did not make any

reference to this in his speech in moving the second reading of

control of Publication Consolidation (Amendment) Bill 1986, we

know that these suppression provisions were

principally in order to

published or imported

Joint Declaration on

between the People's

enacted in 1951

control pro-communist

newspapers

into Hong Kong. With the signing of the

19th December 1984, the

relationship

Republic of Hong Kong and Great Britain