Tung Chee-hwa will be invited to a fund-raising premiere of From the Queen to the Chief Executive - the controversial film that tells the stories of 14 young prisoners detained at the Chief Executive's discretion.
Unionist legislator Leung Yiu-chung, who has been heavily involved in fighting for definite jail terms for young inmates who were first detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, said the May premiere aimed to raise money to help finance tuition fees for the inmates. Over the past two years, Mr Leung has helped raise $300,000 for the offenders, who have enrolled in distance-learning courses run by the Open University.
Last night Mr Leung, who first raised the issue with Mr Tung at a private meeting in 1998, said: 'I very much hope that Mr Tung will attend this premiere and get a more in-depth knowledge of the plight of the inmates.'
Asked whether Mr Tung would accept the invitation, a spokeswoman for the Chief Executive's office said it would only comment after receiving the invitation.
Last February, China Star Hong Kong Distribution Ltd, owned by film-maker Charles Heung Wah-keung, pulled the film from the Hong Kong International Film Festival after it was claimed the Government made an about-turn in its invitation for the film to open the festival.
The Cultural and Leisure Department has denied the film was rejected as the festival's opening attraction for political reasons.