CONFIDENTIAL
075173 MDHIAN 54
BRITAIN WOULD TRY ITS BEST TO ENSURE THAT THE VIEWS OF THE HK PEOPLE ON THE BL WOULD BE RELAYED TO THE CHINESE. THE GOVERNOR WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE SECOND DRAFT OF THE BL HAD ALREADY SHOWN IMPROVEMENT OVER THE FIRST AND THAT THE HKG WOULD ENSURE THAT THE BL COMPLY WITH THE JD.
6. THE PRESENT LOW LEVEL OF INTEREST IN HONG KONG TO THE SECOND DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW WAS REFLECTED IN THE LACK OF MEDIA COMMENT ON THE SUBJECT ALTHOUGH A FEW PAPERS CARRIED THE GOVERNOR'S APPEAL FOR MORE HK PEOPLE TO GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON THE DRAFT.
7. COMMENTING ON THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS ABOUT PUBLIC RESPONSE TO THE CONSULTATION ON THE BL DRAFT, BLCC SECRETARY GENERAL LEUNG CHUN-YING SAID ONE COULD NOT EXPECT EVERYONE IN HK TO BE VERY INTERESTED IN THE COMPLICATED DOCUMENT BUT RESPONSE TO THE FIRST DRAFT HAD BEEN VERY GOOD AND FAR FROM APATHETIC. MARTIN LEE SAID THE LUKEWARM RESPONSE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE BLCC MEMBERS HAD ADOPTED VERY CLEAR POLITICAL STANCE, WHICH UNDERMINED THEIR NEUTRALITY.
HUMAN RIGHTS
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8. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS, ESPECIALLY SCMP, HIGHLIGHTED THE S OF S'S REMARK THAT THERE MIGHT BE A CASE FOR HK TO ENACT ITS OWN BILL OF RIGHTS BEFORE 1997. SCMP COMMENTED THAT CHINA'S ATTITUDE ON THIS QUESTION WOULD BE TESTED IN THE COMING MONTHS DURING DISCUSSIONS ON THE BL DRAFT. IT NOTED THAT HKG HAD FOR SOME TIME BEEN EXAMINING THE POSSIBLE CONTENTS OF A BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE PRESSURE WOULD NOW BE ON THE ADMINISTRATION TO SPELL OUT ITS THINKING ON THIS.
9. MARTIN LEE WELCOMED SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARKS, AND THOUGHT THAT SIR GEOFFREY HAD BEEN MORE POSITIVE THAN THE GOVERNOR ON THE ISSUE OF HK'S BILL OF RIGHTS. ANDREW WONG, CONVENOR OF THE OMELCO CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PANEL, SAID THAT THE PANEL, AFTER DISCUSSING THE COMMENTS BY THE S OF S AND THE GOVERNOR, HAD DECIDED TO MAINTAIN THEIR PREVIOUS POSITION THAT WHILE A BILL OF RIGHTS WAS SUPPORTED IN PRINCIPLE, HK SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THE PROMULGATION OF THE BL. PROVISION OF SUCH A BILL MIGHT BE INCORPORATED INTO THE BL, MAKING A SEPARATE DOCUMENT UNNECESSARY.
GENERAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON THE INQUIRY
10. MANY PAPERS HIGHLIGHTED THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS ON THE IMPORTANCE FOR THE BRITISH PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY MPS, TO THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND AND TO BE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT HK AFFAIRS, AND THE IMPORTANCE FOR HK PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS TO THE FAC.
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