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The mystery over the sudden retirement of former immigration chief Laurence Leung Ming-yin took a dramatic twist yesterday when he said he had been forced to quit.

  Previously, Mr Leung and his government bosses insisted he had asked to stand down for personal reasons.

  But speaking before a special Legislative Council hearing, Mr Leung, 55, said he had been summoned by civil service chief Lam Woon-kwong on July 5 and asked to retire because the Government no longer trusted him.

  'During the meeting, Mr Lam said the Government wanted me to resign immediately. He said if I didn't, they would take measures to force me out,' Mr Leung said.

  'I asked him why, and Mr Lam replied it was because the Government did not trust me anymore.

  'I asked him why they didn't trust me and he said, 'You should know,' . . . but I still don't know why.'   He did admit to being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1995, but said the case into his assets and earnings was dropped for lack of evidence.

 Answering Mr Leung's allegations later in the day, Civil Service Secretary Mr Lam insisted that the former director of immigration 'chose to retire' after being told he might be asked to do so.

  'It was Mr Leung's choice to retire rather than to face action,' said Mr Lam.

 But he still refused to say what had happened to make the Government suddenly lose confidence in its immigration chief.

  Both Mr Lam and his deputy, Sandra Lee Suk-yee, will be asked to attend another hearing into the matter on January 23, but legislators warned they might also summon the Governor, Chris Patten, and Chief Secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang.

  The Government announced on July 6 that it had accepted Mr Leung's application for retirement, citing personal reasons.

  Asked why he hadn't told the truth then, Mr Leung told legislators he was ready 'to swallow everything' after realising he had no alternative but to stand down.

   'So when the media asked me, I said yes, I retired for personal reasons,' he said.

   'But since then there have been a lot of rumours. So I felt I had no choice but to speak the truth now.'   Mr Leung singled out British media reports accusing him of passing sensitive information to Beijing.

  Mr Lam said yesterday the Government had been prepared to take action against the immigration chief under Colonial Regulation 59 unless he retired voluntarily.

 This allows the Governor to request that an officer retire if he receives a report saying such action is 'desirable in the public interest'.

  If the officer refuses to step down, he is informed of the grounds on which his retirement is being sought and given an opportunity to make representations.

  Mr Lam said Mr Leung would have been told why his resignation was required if he had refused to retire.

  But as he had agreed to stand down he was never told the reasons.

  Mr Lam said the administration would study Mr Leung's testimony before deciding on its next move.

  A government source said officials were surprised by Mr Leung's remarks and wondered why he had not spoken out sooner.

  He also said they had received a report on the ICAC investigation into Mr Leung's finances.

  'In general, a lot of things will be thrown up in the course of ICAC investigations into officers,' he said.

  'The Government will then consider whether action should be taken.'   But he insisted Mr Leung's departure had nothing to do with his connections with Chinese officials.

  Speaking in London, Mr Patten said the Government was 'telling the truth'.

  He refused to add to the government statement, but said: 'In the course of the next few days we may have more to say.'   'It's purely personal reasons, mainly health reasons . . . work pressure has been very great' LAURENCE LEUNG July 9, 1996   'Mr Leung retired for personal reasons and . . . personal reasons are personal reasons' CHRIS PATTEN July 9   'This is not normal. The Government has to explain clearly why Mr Leung left' LU PING July 10   'It was Mr Leung's own choice to choose to retire rather than to face action' LAM WOON-KWONG Yesterday 



Leung: I was forced out