عا
RESTRICTED
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1
382)
DTE Roberts Esq CBE QC
Colonial Secretary HONG KONG
Telephone 01-
Your reference
Our reference
Date
1xx14/1
19 December 1973
MRS ELSIE ELLIOTT
1.
Mrs Elliott went to the House of Commons on 18 December to address a meeting of the Hong Kong Parliamentary Group. Originally the meeting was to have been arranged by James Johnson MP for Labour Members only, but after talking the question over with Hr Royle, İ Sir John Tilney arranged to take over the Chair as a joint meeting of the whole Farliamentary Group. Information of the meeting was circulated by the Whips and Sir John originally expected quite a large turnout. But in the event, apart from Sir John and
Mr Johnson, the only MP's who turned up were Dan Jones and Hall-Davis, one of the Conservative Whips. Sir John thought that this was probably due to the fact that Harold Wilson was speaking elsewhere at the same time. But whatever the reason it meant that Elsie Elliott got less than maximum coverage.
2. The general line of her remarks was what one might expect. She said that the Hong Kong Government were doing nothing about corruption and she was sceptical about the Anti-Corruption Commission. She said she had presented evidence of corrupt activities to you, among others, but nothing had ever been done. She claimed to have photographs of bribes being passed, but did not produce them. As examples of corruption and protection rackets she cited bribes paid by hawkers, restaurant keepers, contacts of the Health Department,
fire services and PWD and re-settlement tenants. She said that she had evidence of actual corruption by Godber which police in Hong Kong had ignored. Finally she took up the question of the need for democracy in Legislative Council. She did not, apparently, bring up the Star Ferry riots.
3. Sir John has told me that, in reply, he explained the reasons why an elected Legislative Council was not on. He also advised Mrs Elliott to take her evidence of corruption by Godber straight to the Foreign Office. She and James Johnson indicated that they would do so. They have not, however, yet made any attempt to contact Mr Royle's office or me. In order to show willing I have ottiva
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