TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 12

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MDLIAN 9896

23. HKMAO OFFICIAL CHEN ZIYING SAID THE STATIONING OF TROOPS WOULD BE A SYMBOL OF SOVEREIGNTY. THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFENCE MATTERS AND THE NUMBER TO BE STATIONED WOULD BE LESS THAN THAT OF THE BRITISH GARRISON CURRENTLY STATIONED IN HK. HE SAID THE CHINESE GARRISON WHICH WOULD OBSERVE LOCAL LAWS AS WELL AS CHINA'S LAWS WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH SAR AFFAIRS.

24. QUOTING THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY THE UNITED DAILY NEWS NOTED (4.8) ONLY 20 PER CENT OF THE 522 RESPONDENTS COULD ACCEPT THE STATIONING OF CHINESE GARRISON IN THE URBAN AREAS WHILE ABOUT 70 PER CENT WOULD ACCEPT THEM IN THE NON-URBAN AND BORDER AREAS. ON THE NUMBER OF CHINESE TROOPS, 25 PER CENT ACCEPT A SIMILAR NUMBER AS THE BRITISH GARRISON STATIONED IN HK, I.E. ABOUT 8,000 WHILE HALF OF THE RESPONDENTS HOPED THE NUMBER WOULD BE LESS THAN 8,000 OR NIL. ABOUT 70 PER CENT EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE PLA WOULD NOT

OBSERVE HK LAWS.

COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

25. WAH KIU YAT PO REPORTED (2.8) ACCORDING TO ITS UNDERSTANDING, THE GOVERNMENT HAD BASICALLY COMPLETED DRAFTING THE LEGISLATION ON CFA WHICH WOULD BE TABLED IN LEGCO IN THE NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION AFTER ITS SCRUTINY BY EXCO. HOWEVER, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PAPER, CHINA'S LEGAL EXPERT IN THE JLG WU JIANFAN SAID ALTHOUGH BOTH SIDES HAD REACHED AN AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE, DETAILS WOULD NEED TO BE FURTHER DISCUSSED. THE BRITISH SIDE SHOULD NOW PROCEED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE AND CONSULT THE CHINESE AGAIN. THEY SHOULD NOT HOPE TO OVERTHROW THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT AND UNILATERALLY TAKE ACTION. QUOTING GOVERNMENT SOURCES, THE PAPER SAID THE GOVERNMENT'S LEGISLATION ON THE CFA WOULD BE BASED ON THE 1991 JLG AGREEMENT. THE GOVERNMENT'S STAND REMAINED THAT THE CFA SHOULD BE SET UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THE INDEPENDENCE OF HK'S JUDICIAL SYSTEM.

SURVEY

26.

A MING PAO-COMMISSIONED SURVEY (2.8) FOUND RESIDENTS' PURCHASING INTENT HAD RISEN TO 94 POINTS FROM 93 POINTS IN MARCH. THE INDEX ON POLITICAL CONFIDENCE HAD RISEN TO 93 POINTS FROM 92 IN MARCH AND THE LOW OF 89 POINTS LAST DECEMBER. 77 PER CENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY HAD CONFIDENCE IN HK'S FUTURE COMPARED TO 71 PER CENT IN MARCH. 50 PER CENT OF RESPONDENTS BELIEVED THE PWC WOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND 30 PER CENT HAD

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