TNAG-2079-FCO40-2959-Hong-Kong-press-coverage-and-reports-1990 — Page 346

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034055

MDLIAN 178

5. THE REPORTS QUOTED AN FCO SPOKESMAN IN HK, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, AS CONFIRMING THAT BRITAIN WAS NOW HOLDING TALKS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, BUT HE DECLINED TO GIVE MORE DETAILS. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, LI ZHAOXING, SAID THAT BRITAIN'S NATIONALITY PACKAGE HAD SERIOUSLY VIOLATED ITS SOLEMN COMMITMENT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, THE MEDIA (2.3.) REPORTED.

AUSTRALIA: EMIGRATION

6. THE NUMBER OF HK PEOPLE APPLYING FOR EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA HAD ALMOST TREBLED IN THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS, THE SCM POST (28.2) REPORTED, QUOTING THE REGIONAL MIGRATION DIRECTOR AT THE AUSTRALIAN CONSULATE GENERAL, ANDREW METCALFE, WHO DESCRIBED THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AS ''UNPRECEDENTED''.

SURVEY

7. A TERRITORY-WIDE SURVEY ON THE REVISED DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW CONDUCTED BETWEEN FEBRUARY 20 AND 23, IN WHICH MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE WERE INTERVIEWED, FOUND THAT THE MAJORITY OF HK PEOPLE WERE APATHETIC TOWARDS THE BASIC LAW WAS WIDELY COVERED. ACCORDING TO THE FINDINGS, 12 PER CENT OF THE RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY WERE SATISFIED WITH THE DRAFT BASIC LAW AND 17 PER CENT SAID THEY WERE NOT. SOME 59 PER CENT OF THEM SAID THAT THEY HAD NO OPINION ON THE DRAFT. ON THE POLITICAL PROVISIONS, 11 PER CENT OF THE RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY WERE SATISFIED WHILE 14 PER CENT SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT. 66 PER CENT OF THEM SAID THAT THEY HAD NO VIEWS.

BILL OR RIGHTS

8. THE MEDIA (3.3) QUOTING GOVERNMENT SOURCES, SAID THAT THE PROPOSED HUMAN RIGHTS ORDINANCE WOULD NOT BE SUPREME OVER OTHER LOCAL LAWS IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE BASIC LAW WOULD BE OVERRIDING OVER OTHER HK LAWS. COMMENTING ON THE REPORTS, LEGCO MEMBER ANDREW WONG CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO SAFEGUARD THE SPECIAL STATUS OF THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS. THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION DENOUNCED THE GOVERNMENT FOR FAILING TO GIVE THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS OVERRIDING POWER AND TO ENTRENCH IT.

BLCC

9. QUOTING BLCC CHAIRMAN T.K. ANN, THE COMMITTEE'S SECRETARY- GENERAL LEUNG CHUN-YING AND BLCC MEMBER XU SIMIN, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL AND THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS (28.2) SAID THAT IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO SET UP ANOTHER ADVISORY BODY AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF THE BLCC.

WILSON

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