TNAG-1750-FCO40-2470-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 8

Telephone:

5-8730 4 6 4

Dear

жи

JUSTICE

(BRITISH SECTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS)

TURB.

HONG KONG BRANCH

際 計 * 維 纖

英國分會香港分會

President of Council

The Rt Hon. The Lord Gardiner

Chairman

I. R A. MacCallum

04012

Deputy Chairman'

Kaplan Q. C.

Executive Secretary

19 JAN 19 Mrs. Anne Godfrey

Ame

Entert

pa.

13th January, 1988

HKD

31

fr informantin

Communications:

Executive Secretary

601 PRINCE'S BUILDING.

CENTRAL.

HONG KONG.

Рем

18/1.

Knowing of your interest in Hong Kong, we are writing to inform you of what the Hong Kong Branch of Justice believes to be the important issues of today.

By far the most important is the need to put in place the institutions of representative government as soon as possible. Justice strongly feels that direct elections to the Legislative Council should begin in 1988, leading eventually to a fully directly elected legislature.

Second,

Justice believes that, to ensure the protection of human rights, it is essential to incorporate the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural into Hong Kong's domestic law.

and the Rights

Third, Justice requests that all legislation incorporating racial distinctions be amended. A racial criterion ("any person who is wholly or partly of Chinese race") is in the new Immigration Ordinance (1987) as well as in half a dozen other pieces of legislation, such as the Electoral Provisions Ordinance, the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance and the Legal Practitioners Ordinance.

Fourth, Justice seeks the withdrawal of the Film Censorship Bill, in which the government asks for the legal right to ban films for political reasons, specifically, films that in the judgment of the censor have a "likelihood" of seriously damaging good relations with "other territories," a term used to refer to China. We are opposed to censorship in general but censorship for political reasons is particularly worrying to people here.

Lastly, Justice requests the repeal of Section 27 of the Public Order Ordinance, which was enacted last March despite a wide public outcry. The law, which makes it a crime to publish "false news," has no equivalent in the United Kingdom and poses a threat to basic freedoms, especially free press and free speech.

We see these issues as raising serious questions of liberty and proper government and we would appreciate it if you would

consider raising them during the forthcoming Parliamentary debate on Hong Kong.

London contact:

Leah Levin, Peter Ashman Justice (01.405.6018)

Yours sincerely,

Anne Godfrey

Anne Godfrey Executive Secretary

(30)

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 0213

OF 15093UZ JANUARY 88

CONFIDENTIAL

HRB 0402....

1 8 JAN 1988

151334

MDLIAN 2361

TOP O @ DIST ?

HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE ON HONG KONG ON WEDNESDAY, 20 JANUARY

BY WAY OF A SITREP, WE HAVE MADE THE FOLLOWING PREPARATIONS:

(1) DCS OFFICE HAS SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL AREAS FOR DEFENSIVE BRIEFS,

AND HAS PROVIDED UPDATES ON PUBLIC ORDER (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE AND

FILM CENSORSHIP AS REQUESTED BY YOU. YOUR TELNO 87.

(2) WE HAVE ARRANGED COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMMES FOR THE FOLLOWING MPS

IN RECENT WEEKS:

MRS VIRGINIA BOTTOMLEY

MR CLIVE SOLEY

MR ROBERT HUGHES

MR JAMES HILL

MR GEORGE FOULKES

31.12.87-8.1.88

4.1.88-10.1.88

4.1.88-10.1.88

7.1.88-15.1.88

10.1.88-13.1.88

IN ADDITION TO MEETING LOCAL PERSONALITIES, ALL WERE EXTENSIVELY

BRIEFED BY DCS, S(GD) SASI AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THOUGH MR

HILL AT THE LAST MINUTE CANCELLED A BRIEFING FROM S (GD) FOR PERSONAL

REASONS. MESSRS SOLEY, HUGHES AND FOULKES WERE ALSO BRIEFED BY MARTIN LEE.

(3) WITH YOUR AND HKGO ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE ARRANGED A FULL PROGRAMME

FOR MISS DUNN'S VISIT (COPY BEING FAXED SEPARATELY) INCLUDING MEET-

INGS WITH MINISTERS AND HKD OFFICIALS, MEETINGS WITH MPS AND A

/

PRESS BRIEFING, AND WILL BE PROVIDING HER WITH A COMPREHENSIVE BRIEFING FOLDER.THIS INCLUDES MAIN CRITICISMS MADE OF HKG'S POSITION,

A DEFENSIVE BRIEF AND LORD GLENARTHUR'S REPLY TO THE OPEN LETTER TO

THE PRIME MINISTER. PRESS BRIEFING IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, 18 JANUARY. ATTENDANCE LIST ALSO FAXED SEPARATELY. FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION, MISS DUNN'S VISIT TO LONDON IS PRESENTED AS A FORTUITIOUS STOP-OVER BETWEEN OTHER COMMITMENTS AND SHE IS TAKING

THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE DEBATE ON HONG KONG.

(4) POSITIVE MATERIAL ABOUT HONG KONG HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE HOUSE

OF COMMONS LIBRARY. THE FOLDER NOW CONTAINS:

1

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL