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XIV.
Extractin FEH 3/301/3
b
(e.g. from Amnesty International) so long as it was not subsequently learned that the man had in fact explained his predicament to the Hong Kong authorities.
30.
Sir Murray MacLehose said he would examine, on his return to Hong Kong, the degree of individual consideration given to the group before they were returned. He would report to London, with an assessment of the implications for the return of illegals to China. He would ensure that proper individual consideration was given in any subsequent cases. At the same time, he emphasised that investigations could not be unduly prolonged. Delay gave rise to problems, and Hong Kong would be alarmed if too much attention was given to pleas from Amnesty International and others that alternative destinations should be sought for people who did not already have them.
31.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that Hong Kong's conduct with regard to the 118 South Vietnamese should be helpful to HMG in defending Hong Kong action in future cases. There were more than half a million Chinese in Vietnam and several hundred thousand in Cambodia, a great number of whom might like to come to Hong Kong. It would be intolerable if Hong Kong should constantly have to expend scarce manpower and money on protracted enquiries.
The Chinese 'Representative
32.
1
Sir Murray MacLehose believed there should be no concession
on this point unless and until the dangers of continued refusal
were even greater than those of concession. The Chinese did not seem to be pushing particularly strongly: life had already been made a bit easier for China's unofficial delegation in Hong Kong (though without giving it full political status and powers); and he did not think it was necessary for HMG or Hong Kong to respond any further to the Chinese proposal. 33.
It was suggested that the Chinese had been genuinely surprised at HMG's refusal to accept a Chinese representative in Hong Kong following the appointment of Ambassadors in Peking and London. Nevertheless, Anglo-Chinese relations should be viewed
in the broad world context, and they were not significantly affected at present by HMG's continued refusal to accept official Chinese representation in Hong Kong.
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