TNAG-2324-FCO40-3368-Hong-Kong-Bill-of-Rights-Vietnamese-boat-people-1991 — Page 142

CONFIDENTIAL

HKC 241/4

C4

161571

MDHOAN 9739

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO DESKBY 14010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 485

OF 131735Z MARCH 91

23

27 MAR ON

TOP COM/ Q DIST ?

YOUR TELNO 786: VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS: AMENDMENTS TO THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE

1.

WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR THESE FURTHER EXPLANATIONS AND THE COMMENT IN PARAGRAPH 1(A) OF TUR.

2. WE UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY BEHIND YOUR PROPOSALS (PARA 2 OF TUR). IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD CLARIFY SOME POINTS ON ·

TIMING:

A) WE ACCEPT YOUR REASONS FOR WANTING TO ENACT THESE

AMENDMENTS BEFORE THE BILL OF RIGHTS. WHAT IS YOUR LATEST

ESIMATE FOR THE SECOND READING OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND HOW

LONG DO YOU EXPECT IT TO LAST. WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED DATE

FOR THE BILL OF RIGHTS PASSING INTO LAW.

B) WHEN DO YOU ANTICIPATE THE AMENDMENTS BEING INTRODUCED

INTO LEGCO (THIS DATE IS SIGNIFICANT SINCE WE ASSUME THAT THAT IS WHEN THE AMENDMENTS WILL BECOME PUBLIC. IF AT ALL

POSSIBLE WE WANT TO AVOID THIS BEING VERY SHORTLY AFTER OUR PRESENTATION OF THE THIRD PERIODIC REPORT).

C) IS THE BILL OF RIGHTS THE ONLY IMPERATIVE OR DO YOU WANT IN ANY CASE TO ENACT THE AMENDMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF TIMING OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS WERE TO SLIP, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD YOU BE PREPARED TO LET THE AMENDMENT SLIP ALSO?

WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR COMMENTS DESKBY 14090OZ. WE HOPE THAT THEY WILL HELP US TO MAKE A STRONG CASE TO MINISTERS FOR THE TIMING AND CONTENT OF THESE AMENDMENTS.

HURD

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