TNAG-1722-FCO40-2415-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1988 — Page 77

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

635

SECRET

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2876

OF 281130Z JULY 88

+KB

RECOVER

SECRET

011

REGISTRY

27 JUL 1988

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JEG HONG KONG

YOUR TELNOS 1959-60°

-641-BOS

BASIC LAW : ART. 169

114131

MDHIAN 8747

TOP COPY

Q DIST 7

هما

They are!

gistered,

If there are not

M. Batain capres (from me)

MANY THANKS FOR TURS. OUR COMMENTS ARE SET OUT BELOW.

ON FIRST TUR

ON PARA 1.

2. WE AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE AVAILABLE A CHECKLIST

OF POINTS WHICH WE WISH TO MAKE/EXPLORE WITH THE CHINESE.

ON PARAS 2 AND 3

3. SINCE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE ON THE DRAFT BL, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTING ON ART. 169 HAVE EXPRESSED GRAVE CONCERN ON THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE SAR COURTS SHOULD CONSULT

THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE ON CERTAIN BL ARTICLES REGARDED AS

FALLING OUTSIDE THE LIMIT OF THE SAR'S AUTONOMY BEFORE GIVING A

FINAL JUDGMENT. FOR ANY ALTERNATIVE TEXT OF ART. 169 TO WIN LOCAL ACCEPTANCE, AND IN ORDER THAT JD 50 AND 68 WILL BE GIVEN FULL EFFECT AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE SAR'S JUDICIAL SYSTEM PRESERVED, SUCH A REQUIREMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE ABANDONED. THE SUGGESTION THAT

THE SAR COURTS SHOULD BE GIVEN A DISCRETION WHETHER OR NOT TO REFER

TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE WOULD NOT IN OUR VIEWS ALLAY PUBLIC CONCERN, SINCE IT STILL PROVIDES A DIRECT AVENUE FOR THE COURTS TO ADJOURN A CASE BEFORE THEM IN ORDER TO SEEK A DECISION FROM THE NPC

STANDING COMMITTEE.

4. THE CHINESE SIDE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY GRAVELY CONCERNED ABOUT THE

PROTECTION OF THEIR INTERESTS. BUT WE SHOULD RESIST ANY CHINESE

ATTEMPT TO ERODE JD 58 AND 68 AND THE JUDICIAL INTEGRITY OF THE

SAR. IT IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT TO REBUT THE ANALOGY DRAWN BY LU PING ET AL BETWEEN ART. 177 OF THE EC TREATY AND ART. 169, WHICH IS A FALSE ONE (SEE PARA. 4 OF OUR TELNO 2783). WE ARE NOT ARGUING

THAT THE CPG SHOULD BE COMPLETELY DENIED ANY REMEDY IF IT THINKS

THAT ITS INTERESTS MAY BE DAMAGED BY A DECISION OF AN SAR COURT

BASED ON A WRONG INTERPREATION OF A BL PROVISION. BUT WE

CONTINUE TO OBJECT TO A PROCEDURE WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE NPC

STANDING COMMITTEE TO INTERFERE WITH THE JUDICIAL PROCESS IN THE

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