1848
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY
Cypher/Cat A
PRIORITY PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 898
CONFIDENTIAL
28 September, 1968
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No.898 of
28 September,
Repeated for information to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong telegram No.2015:
894
Detainees.
656
682
This telegram seems to mark a significant step back from the policy suggested in your telegram 1.362 and accepted to some degree in Hong Kong telegram No.1005. It is now proposed to wait until the second half of October before there can be 18 releases of detainees to [en omitted ? off) set 22 visas. This assumes that proceedings on 1 October and 10th are judged satisfactory. This total of 18 includes 4 releases made before the Chinese promise of justice. Two of these were timed in response to release of Pope and Jones (Hong Kong telegram No.845). It would also include one case where detainee was being released simply because the warrant had expired.
2.
There would apparently be no releases in recognition of the release of the Selfs and more recently of Saunders, although even in early July it was agreed that it would be appropriate to time release of detainees so as to show response to the release of Pope and Jones (Hong Kong telegram No.845). In fact paragraph 6 of telegram makes plain that there will in future be no releases to respond to better treatment of British subjects (other than members of this Mission). Apparently while an exit visa for a member of this mission may merit release of a detainee the release of any like Johnston from imprisonment would not. I find this distinction indefensible.
3.
The reasons for this retreat so far as I understand them seem to be four:
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Given the
But
What
(a) It is thought releases would be constituting a threat to security of the Colony. There is no doubt. why detainees were originally detained: in the circumstances of 1967 they were judged a threat, are they in the circumstances of 1968? present Communist policy of non-violence are they going to be any more of a threat than large number of Communists who have all along been at large or are being released after having served their terms? Pre released detainees going to do that their comraues at liberty could not do if instructions were given from Peking? The detainees will presumably all be released in any event' over the next 8 months since warrants on which they are held will expire. Will they be a simificantly less. threat to security in a few months time than they would be if released now? For example, are two film stars we still retain after 14 months detention a threat now to Hong Kong's security? The Hong Kong Special Branch report of 20 June on which this exercise is based, states while detainees can be considered a threat as confirmed Communist agitators it must now be taken into account that other and more senior militant Communists are still at liberty within the Colony
in absence
of any resurgence of violent Communist activity in the
CONFIDENTIAL
/Colony