13
2-FEB 1068
CONFIDENTIAL
HOTEL PICCADILLY
Piccadilly, Manchester Telephone Central 8414 Telegrams Hotelpic Manchester Telex No.668765
Mr. P.C.M. Sedgwick, C.M.G.,
Hong ng Government Office, London S.W.1
Dear Par
:
13.
February 1, 1968
Subsequent to my telephone conversation with you this morning, I had a lengthy meeting with the delegates together with KY. Yeung, Gerry Xavier and Victor Chann. At the meeting we discussed various things and attempted to review the work the delegation had done so far. We also discussed the programme for the delegation, on their return to London on or before the 15th of February. (The delegation, particularly Pang Fu Wah and Chan Yat Sun, would like to return to London earlier apparently to sell their profit-making. plan and we may have to cut short our stay in Newcastle as soon as the film show is over). Amongst the matters discussed there are three things which I think I have to draw your attention to, particularly their demand to see the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs if neither the Queen, or the Prime Minister, is available for an audience,
2. It was agreed at the meeting that there should be a film show in London on a date to be suitably arranged between me and Boxall. I will telephone Boxall tonight and have the matter sorted out without bothering you. It was alco senged bht I ~hould return from Edinburgh to London as coon as the film show is over i.e. February 12th, in order to finalise the programme for them in London. The point on which we have reached no agreement is that they should be contented only to see Lord Shepherd. I explained to them at some length that you had done your best to get Mr. Thompson without success. They were exceedingly inno disappointed and were very angry, saying that the British, Government, Kad no respect whatsoever for the Heung Yee Kuk delegation which, after all, represents the people of the New Territories. They rejected outright the idea of merely paying a courtesy call on Mr. Thompson's office without seeing the man himself. Pang Fu Wah, in particular, feels very strongly and goes as far as to say that if they cannot see Thompson or anyone higher they will not see anyone at all. He feels that either we have not put our case strongly enough to the British Government or the British Government do not think Hong Kong is a place worthy of attention. Pang also points out that during the disturbances he and the other members of the delegation had gone through all the risks and had done everything humanly possible to back up the British Government and the Government of Hong Kong and for this reason they should not be treated as if they were ordinary visitors to this country. He even compares themselves as landlords seeing their tennants because, in his opinion, the New Territories is a place leased to the British Government and they, being old residents of the New Territories, are in fact the real owners of the properties! He also points out that in 1966 Mr. Bowden, the then Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, met the Heung Yee Kuk when he visited Hong Kong. He also cited the meeting with Mr. Fred Lee, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, some years ago.
Proprietor-Ind Ooops Limited
years ago.