Cypher/Cat A
CONFIDENTIAL
MMEDIATE PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 1
1 January, 1968
232
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CONFIDEAL
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 1 of 1 January. Repeated for information to:
21) My telegram No. 387.
Hong Kong.
I was received by Mr. Hsueh Deputy Director of Western Europe at my request on 31 December to discuss NCNA request for special visit to their reporters in prison.
2.
I began by informing Mr. Hsueh that according to Hong Kong prison rule requests for special visits must come from prisoners themselves and that if prisoners made such a request I thought it would probably be granted. I suggest it was open to NCNA to write to prisoners to suggest this. I went on to remind Mr. Hsuch that NCNA officials had already visited Hsueh P'ing and other journalists many times on a monthly basis and that reporters could send and receive letters. I contrasted this with treatment accorded to Grey whom we had not been allowed to visit despite repeated requests. I pointed out that permission for special visits was at discretion of prison authorities and we should be interested to see whether similar treatment in way of monthly visits, a New Year visit and facilities to send and receive letters would be granted to Grey.
3. In reply Mr. Hsuch said that NCNA had requested Hong Kong British authorities to arrange formally for responsible officials of NCNA to visit their correspondents in prison. NCNA had also been entrusted by other responsible organisations such as trade unions, schools and social organisations to request Hong Kong British authorities to allow representatives to visit prisoners from their organisations. NCNA had received no reply and Chinese Government was very dissatisfied. request had been made several months before so why did Hong Kong British authorities suddenly raise issue of prisoners making requests themselves? Chinese Government could absolutely not agree this.
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4. Mr. Hsueh went on to complain of inhuman treatment suffered by prisoners such as being given insufficient food and being forced to sleep on cement floors. On the question of Grey he said "If Hong Kong British authorities satisfy requests put by NCNA the Chinese Government might consider allowing British Office to send personnel to visit Grey".
5. Mr. Hsuch then said that according to reports in Hong Kong newspapers two film actors Fu Ch'i and Shin-Hui and a Director of Phoenix Film Company Jen Yi-Chih were to be deported to Taiwan. was impermissible.
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6. I reminded Mr. Hsuch that NCNA officials had already visited Hsueh P'ing. We had reported this fact [gp. undec.] Chinese Government. I said that as far as visits by representatives of other organisations were concerned it was up to prisoners to make request themselves. I rejected his complaints about prison conditions in Hong Kong which compare favourably with accounts elsewhere.
Mr. Hsueh had said that NCNA had received no reply to their request. I was now giving him the reply.
7. I went on to say I had no information on film actors and director mentioned by Mr. Hsueh but if anyone went to Taiwan it would be of their own free will. In the course of an exchange in which
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CONFIDENTIAL
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