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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I am utterly tired of hearing police spokesmen claiming that the public should not be afraid to report triads, because they are small gangs and the police will deal with them. Any policeman who makes such a statement should be investigated to see if he is fit for his job.
It is true that most of the persons arrested and charged with triad membership are small fry not to be feared, or even totally innocent boys. The real triads are fearful gangsters, but as they are friends of police, they are seldom if ever arrested. This can be seen clearly in a recent murder case, in which the weakest of the gang was paid to take full blame, while the gangsters, friends of a runaway policeman, got off scot-free with their crime. This is the general picture in Hong Kong, and only those who prefer to keep their eyes shut will deny it.
public scandal
Even when a case involving big fish becomes such that the authorities reluctantly take action, these big gangsters still have a good chance of escaping from the colony, because they are allowed bail at a figure that is mere peanuts to them; those who do not escape the colony can afford the best of lawyers to find loopholes in the law. The innocent accused, or the weaker triad members, on the contrary, can neither afford lawyers nor get legal aid from the Government in the lower courts. Because of these factors, the courts of Hong Kong have become instruments of oppression to the poor, and a laughing-stock to the rich criminals.
Because of this alarming situation, I wish to suggest that we set up citizens' appeals boards to hear and look into complaints of frame-ups, especially of young boys and girls, who have become a target in the charade which they call anti-crime and anti-triad drives.
The outward appearance of British Justice found here is hollow and meaningless. For example, on one day late last October, at the Supreme Court, 13 appeals were dismissed in one hour; in none of them did the prisoner have a lawyer. On the following day, 12 appeals were disposed of in the same way. No one knows whether these prisoners were criminals or innocent persons used as scapegoats. Had they been members of the Government law-enforcement bodies, on murder charges, they would have been represented by a leading counsel and a junior; but underprivileged persons on murder charges may be allocated only junior counsel: such is the attitude towards the under-privileged.
A judge recently said: "In Hong Kong, justice is in the gutter." Yet no one seems to be concerned, least of all the Judiciary. The higher echelons of the Government, which I do attempt to keep in-formed on the situation as indicated by my ward cases, dismiss my charges as they have always dismissed my charges of corruption. The day must come when the rottenness created by unashamed injustice and corruption will be exposed, because the Government is not prepared to deal with it. But by that time it will be too late to exonerate the name of Britain.
I would like to sum up, Mr. Chairman, by demanding that the Government put its British democratic principles into action; that the Housing Department return to its policy of housing low-salaried workers; and that the whole system of justice in Hong Kong be overhauled.
I would like to add, Mr. Chairman, as the news came too late to be included in my printed speech, that I would support any move to oppose the steep rise in rates which is said to be pending. Such a high rise in rates could only result in a further deterioration in the standard of living of Hong Kong people and cannot be tolerated. With these words, based upon facts found through my ward office, I support the Motion.
Mr. H. M. G. FORSGATE (in English):-Mr. Chairman, since the Council attained financial autonomy on 1st April, 1973, steady, if unspectacular, progress, has been made on our capital works development programme. Physical construction work on Council financed projects was very moderate in the first two years, as various adjustments and administrative arrangements had to be made between the Council, the Urban Services Department and the Government during the transitional period. Following the formation of the Works Planning Select Committee in 1975, the Department and the Committee con-centrated on identifying priorities, finding suitable sites and drawing up a balanced and acceptable longterm development programme. At the same time, the Architectural Office was churning out layout plans and working drawings for a whole series of new Council projects. During this build-up period, only about $4 million was actually expended on Council financed projects, although the total value of the completed works amounted to some $10 million, 60 percent of which were chargeable to the Government.
However, this was only the tip of the iceberg. With two years of solid planning work ripening, there was comparatively an upsurge in the number of new Council projects in 1975, when a total of 40 UC financed projects worth some $7.5 million were completed, whereas the total actual capital expenditure for the year amounted to $18.63 million. If added to the $5.1 million worth of projects financed by Government, the total would be in the region of $23.7 million.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 75 of 135
116
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I am utterly tired of hearing police spokesmen claiming that the public should not be afraid to report triads, because they are small gangs and the police will deal with them. Any policeman who makes such a statement should be investigated to see if he is fit for his job.
It is true that most of the persons arrested and charged with triad membership are small fry not to be feared, or even totally innocent boys. The real triads are fearful gangsters, but as they are friends of police, they are seldom if ever arrested. This can be seen clearly in a recent murder case, in which the weakest of the gang was paid to take full blame, while the gangsters, friends of a runaway policeman, got off scot-free with their crime. This is the general picture in Hong Kong, and only those who prefer to keep their eyes shut will deny it.
public scandal
Even when a case involving big fish becomes such that the authorities reluctantly take action, these big gangsters still have a good chance of escaping from the colony, because they are allowed bail at a figure that is mere peanuts to them; those who do not escape the colony can afford the best of lawyers to find loopholes in the law. The innocent accused, or the weaker triad members, on the contrary, can neither afford lawyers nor get legal aid from the Government in the lower courts. Because of these factors, the courts of Hong Kong have become instruments of oppression to the poor, and a laughing-stock to the rich criminals.
Because of this alarming situation, I wish to suggest that we set up citizens' appeals boards to hear and look into complaints of frame- ups, especially of young boys and girls, who have become a target in the charade which they call anti-crime and anti-triad drives.
The outward appearance of British Justice found here is hollow and meaningless. For example, on one day late last October, at the Supreme Court, 13 appeals were dismissed in one hour; in none of them did the prisoner have a lawyer. On the following day, 12 appeals were disposed of in the same way. No one knows whether these prisoners were criminals or innocent persons used as scapegoats. Had they been members of the Government law-enforcement bodies, on murder charges, they would have been represented by a leading counsel and a junior; but underprivileged persons on murder charges may be allocated only junior counsel: such is the attitude towards the under- privileged.
A judge recently said: "In Hong Kong, justice is in the gutter." Yet no one seems to be concerned, least of all the Judiciary. The higher echelons of the Government, which I do attempt to keep in- formed on the situation as indicated by my ward cases, dismiss my
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
117
charges as they have always dismissed my charges of corruption. The day must come when the rottenness created by unashamed injustice and corruption will be exposed, because the Government is not prepared to deal with it. But by that time it will be too late to exonerate the name of Britain.
I would like to sum up, Mr. Chairman, by demanding that the Government put its British democratic principles into action; that the Housing Department return to its policy of housing low-salaried workers; and that the whole system of justice in Hong Kong be overhauled.
I would like to add, Mr. Chairman, as the news came too late to be included in my printed speech, that I would support any move to oppose the steep rise in rates which is said to be pending. Such a high rise in rates could only result in a further deterioration in the standard of living of Hong Kong people and cannot be tolerated. With these words, based upon facts found through my ward office, I support the Motion.
Mr. H. M. G. FORSGATE (in English):-Mr. Chairman, since the Council attained financial autonomy on 1st April, 1973, steady, if unspectacular, progress, has been made on our capital works develop- ment programme. Physical construction work on Council financed projects was very moderate in the first two years, as various adjustments and administrative arrangements had to be made between the Council, the Urban Services Department and the Government during the transitional period. Following the formation of the Works Planning Select Committee in 1975, the Department and the Committee con- centrated on identifying priorities, finding suitable sites and drawing up a balanced and acceptable longterm development programme. At the same time, the Architectural Office was churning out layout plans and working drawings for a whole series of new Council projects. During this build-up period, only about $4 million was actually expended on Council financed projects, although the total value of the completed works amounted to some $10 million, 60 percent of which were chargeable to the Government.
However, this was only the tip of the iceberg. With two years of solid planning work ripening, there was comparatively an upsurge in the number of new Council projects in 1975, when a total of 40 UC financed projects worth some $7.5 million were completed, whereas the total actual capital expenditure for the year amounted to $18.63 million. If added to the $5.1 million worth of projects financed by Government, the total would be in the region of $23.7 million.
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