ENG-1984 — Page 54

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THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

District Boards

Tai Po

Tsuen Wan

Tuen Mun

Date of Meeting

4 October 1984

9 October 1984

12 October 1984

Wan Chai

Wong Tai Sin

Yau Ma Tei

Yuen Long

17 October 1984

22 October 1984

26 October 1984

5 October 1984

3.10 Thus all the principal representative bodies have unequivocally placed on record their view that the draft agreement is acceptable(6),

Views Expressed by Organisations and Groups

3.11 The views expressed directly to the Office by the wide range of organisations described in paragraph 2.18 indicate that out of a total of 430 organisations, an over- whelming majority of 334 have placed on record the fact that in the view of the members they represent the draft agreement is acceptable. 33 organisations have declared that their members reject it. The remainder gave no clear indication of their position. From the response it is clear that the most influential organisations from the professional and business sectors, the religious community, the student population and the civil service, and amongst pressure groups and trade unions have come out generally in support of the draft agreement.

3.12 Some organisations have declared their unwillingness or inability to send their views directly to the Assessment Office, either because they disagreed with the concept of the Assessment Office, or they were unable to arrive at a consensus view. Amongst these were the Bar Association, the Law Society and the Hong Kong Observers. The Office has, nevertheless, taken their views as reported in the media into account().

3.13 the Office received a number of informal collections of views from groups of people sharing a common background but not forming an organisation in the sense of being able to express a representative corporate view. There were 249 of these group submissions coming mainly from groups of civil servants, groups of students, people attending welfare agencies, staff of commercial firms, and various other groups. Altogether some 6 000 people expressed their views in this way and generally indicated clear support for the draft agreement. Of those who did not find the draft agreement acceptable, five groups of some 300 people in all used stencilled forms in identical terms expressing their rejection of the draft agreement, mainly on the grounds of total distrust of the communist regime in China.

Views Expressed by Individuals

3.14 This was the most difficult category to deal with in the context of assessing overall acceptability because of shades of opinions expressed and the tone of the language used;

(6) Copies of the views expressed and resolutions passed are available for public reference in the United Kingdom

and Hong Kong.

(7) (a) The Bar Association was reported to have been unable to pass a resolution recommending ratification of

the draft agreement.

(b) The Law Society declared that it would not give its views on the draft agreement to the Office as it did

not feel a collective view would be appropriate.

(c) The Hong Kong Observers (a pressure group) whilst accepting the draft agreement, said the Office was

"a farce"