TNAG-2556-FCO40-3731-Hong-Kong-Bill-of-Rights-Societies-(Amendment)-Bill-1992-1992 — Page 72

CONFIDENTIAL

7. So far, the Chinese have not reacted at all to the

amendments to some of the less sensitive ordinances which

have already been published. As the Hong kong telegram says, it is encouraging that they did not react

intemperately to the proposed changes in the Societies

Ordinance

G

of which the most significant are the move away from the requirement for Societies to register with the

Police to a system of notification; and the narrowing of the grounds for prohibiting a society to a test of whether prohibition was (in the view of the Secretary for Security) necessary in the interests of security, or public safety or public order. The Hong Kong Government believe that this will leave them adequate powers. But it is a weakening of their previous powers, and the Chinese may yet decide to oppose it out of fear that it will enable outside political groups to use Hong Kong to campaign, eg for reform in China. They could not stop its passage through LegCo, but it could

become another bone of contention. There is, however, no

indication of that yet.

Pifchette

PF Ricketts

Andrew

8/

ALKADJ/3

CONFIDENTIAL