SE MAR
14:35
FROM 001 TECH FATIO
FCO NEWE
PAGE DET
TRANSCRIPT B: HONG KONG SELECT CONKITTEN RÆFTLIG
22 MAR 89
-6-
AN.
TEMPLE- AORRIS:
I would just like to follow-ot Mr. Lawrence's questions
which tended to concentrate on article 18 and related articles,
including 157, and just move on to article 19 which I appreciate,
as the Foreign Secretary has told us, has not yet been agreed, but
nevertheless, that does seem to be very relevant through the
amunt of sovereignly that will be exercised by Peking over Bong
Kong and I quote from article 19: *Courts of the Kong Kong
Special Administrative Region shall have no jurisdiction over
cases relating to the acts of state. Courts of the region shall
obtain a statement from the Chief Executive on questions
concerning the facts of state whenever such questions arise in any
legal proceedings. The statement shall be binding on the
courts.
And then, there is an additional provision: "The Chief
Executive shell obtain a certificate from the Central People's
Government to issue such a statement" which amounts to an
Executive direction over the courts.
amplify.
I am just wonderintg whether the Foreign Secretary could
We may be in translation difficulties here in one
statement saying "acts of state* and another statement in the
Article saying "facts of state, but I think we
much with the same thing
are dealing very
SAVE AZÚ
How much attention does the Furciɣu Seniētāīj
much can he illuminate the details of what can constitute acts of
state, because basically almost anything can be an act of state
and the Chief Executive has clear power exercised through Peking
to direct the judiciary accordingly.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.