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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council Bills Committee on Race Discrimination Bill now invites views on the Bill which was gazetted on December 1, 2006 and introduced into the Legislative Council (LegCo) on December 13, 2006. The Bill seeks to -
(a) make discrimination, harassment and vilification on the ground of race unlawful;
(b) prohibit serious vilification of persons on the ground of race; and
(c) extend the duties and responsibilities of the Equal Opportunities Commission to cover racial discrimination.
The main proposals included in the Bill are related to the following areas -
(a) discrimination and harassment to which the Bill applies;
(b) discrimination and harassment in employment field;
(c) discrimination and harassment in other fields;
(d) other unlawful acts;
(e) matters not affected by the Bill;
(f) powers and responsibilities of the Equal Opportunities Commission; and
(g) enforcement.
Members of the public can visit the website of LegCo at http://www.legco.gov.hk to read the LegCo Brief on the Bill issued by the Home Affairs Bureau on November 29, 2006.
Interested parties are invited to submit their views to the Clerk to the Bills Committee and indicate whether they wish to make oral representations to the Bills Committee at the meeting to be held on Saturday, March 3, 2007, from 9am to 12.30pm. The deadline for written submissions will be February 23, 2007.
In line with usual practice, written submissions received will be made available to the media and the public unless parties concerned have indicated otherwise.
The relevant address, fax and telephone numbers, and e-mail address are as follows:
Address : Clerk to Bills Committee on Race
Discrimination Bill
Legislative Council Secretariat
3/F, Citibank Tower
3 Garden Road
Central, Hong Kong
Tel no. : 2509 4125 or 2869 9252
Fax no. : 2509 9055
E-mail address: wmcheung@legco.gov.hk
Ends/Thursday, January 25, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:01
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