TNAG-2177-FCO40-3114-Hong-Kong-Bill-of-Rights-1990 — Page 44

Kong courts the power to order action to prevent human rights violations or award compensation for violations that have been committed. The Bill of Rights presently contains no such

explicit provisions.

The

The Law Group also called for the Rights Bill to ensure the continuing application of the U.N. monitoring procedures mandated by the International Covenants now applicable to Hong Kong. report concludes that continued international supervision is necessary to assure the Hong Kong public that, after reversion to China in 1997, any subsequent government will remain accountable to the international community for compliance with the provisions

of the Covenant.

In addition, the Law Group criticized the Bill's drafters for weakening the privacy rights granted under the previous

version of the Bill. The current draft exempts private

individuals and institutions from suits alleging violations of

the right to be free from unlawful attacks on one's privacy,

family, home or correspondence. The Law Group found the

detrimental consequence to citizens of such an exemption far outweighs the concerns expressed by some businesses in Hong Kong that non-exemption might implicate certain business practices

involving the use of information.

The Law Group report also called on the U.K. and Hong Kong

Governments to take the following steps:

provide for continuing international monitoring of compliance with the International Covenants in Hong Kong by (a) entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.N., and (b) providing in the Bill of Rights that Hong Kong continue to submit periodic reports to