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CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 212
19 FEBRUARY 1968
HW
FIDENTIAL
ADDRESSED CO TELNO 212 OF 197 FEBRUARY RFI PEKING.
(218)
PEKING TELEGRAM TO FO 129 : PRISONERS.
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME TO TRY TO CLARIFY JUST WHAT IT IS
I AM BEING ASKED TO CONCEDE FOR GREY'S SAKE.
2.
THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO ME TO BE AN ARGUMENT ABOUT THE
GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF VISITING BUT ABOUT (A) WHAT IS OR IS NOT
A ''FORMAL'' VISIT SEMICOLON AND (B) TO HOW MANY PEOPLE ''FORMAL'
VISITS CAN BE MADE.
3. THE RULES ABOUT VISITING WERE SUMMARISED IN PARAGRAPH 2(A)
OF MY TELEGRAM 1908 OF 23RD DECEMBER. THIS TELEGRAM PERHAPS, ERRS IN NOT MAKING IT CLEAR HOW LIBERALLY THE RULES ARE NORMALLY
INTERPRETED. IN DETAIL:
(A) ALL PRISONERS ARE, OR CAN BE, VISITED REGULARLY ONCE A MONTH. MORE OR LESS ANYBODY WITHIN THE CATEGORY OF RELATIVES AND FRIENDS CAN BE LET IN TO SEE THEM ON THESE VISITS PROVIDED THEY DECLARE WHO THEY ARE, WHICH IS A SIMPLE SECURITY PRECAUTION ON THE ONE HAND AND A PROTECTION FOR THE PRISONER ON THE OTHER. THE PRISONER MUST ALSO AGREE TO SEE THEM SEMICOLON OBVIOUSLY PRISONERS CANNOT BE FORCED TO SEE PEOPLE THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE. (B) EXTRA VISITS TO INDIVIDUAL PRISONERS CAN BE APPROVED FOR REASONABLE CAUSE AT THE PRISONER'S REQUEST. AGAIN, ANYBODY WANTING TO SEE A PRISONER FOR ANY SPECIAL REASONS IS OF COURSE
FREE TO ASK TO VISIT HIM SEMICOLON IF THE REASONS ARE COMPELLING, THE VISIT CAN BE ALLOWED AGAIN SUBJECT TO THE PRISONER'S
AGREEMENT. A PARTICULARLY RELEVANT EXAMPLE IS THAT AN EMPLOYER IS USUALLY GRANTED ONE VISIT TO AN EMPLOYEE. THUS, ON 14 FEBRUARY WHEN THE MANAGER OF THE COMMUNIST YIEN YIEH COMMERCIAL BANK ASKED TO SEE SIX EMPLOYEES HE WAS ALLOWED CACCOMPANIED BY TWO OTHERS FROM THE BANK) ONE VISIT TO EACH OF THEM CUNDERLINE NEXT WORD) INDIVID- UALLY.
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