TNAG-2172-FCO40-3109-Hong-Kong-Bill-of-Rights-1990 — Page 33

Q.18

Freeze period.

CONFIDENTIAL

Conflicts with UK G and

&

HKG

statements

that ICCPR has already been given full effect in HK?

Law

Commission

A.18 Legislation is kept constantly under review, and improvements are made from time to time (e.g on going

Reform

studies

on loitering, stop-and-search, etc.) The system in HK has worked well and HK has a good record on human rights. However there are bound to be some areas of doubt regarding the full compatibility of existing law with the Bill of Rights. This has been the experience in other territories which have enacted Bills of Rights (e.g. the Canadian Charter). A review of existing

review of existing legislation in progress. The freeze period will avoid the destabilising effects of legislative vacuums which may occur if statutory laws are found to be

be invalid, but, for practical reasons, there are substantial delays before they can be replaced. The freeze period is now limited to two years.

Q.19

A.19

-

Human rights education. What has been done and what will be done?

distributed

the second report to UNHRC to public

libraries in November 1988

distributed 10,000 bilingual copies of the

Covenants

together with explanatory leaflets to schools, libraries and the public (through DOs) in June this

year.

human rights and rule of the law a major publicity area for the Civic Education Committee in 1989-90 [1990-917).

Law Society will launch a "legal awareness campaign" in 1990-91, subject to availability of resources