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HONGAID LONDON
REUTERS LON
LTX460 261048 NB1217
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1815: PROHONGAID LONDON ONE :-
IN
GIS/37
FOR BOXALL FROM JOHNSTON
FURTHER TO MY GIS/35 OF TODAY.
SECRETARIAT REQUEST SUMMARY
AS FOLLOWS TO BE SENT TO YOU.
PLEASE SEND TO FCO.
FABIAN SOCIETY PAMPHLET: +HONG KONG - BRITAIN'S
RESPONSIBILITY+
THE PUBLICATION OF THE PAMPHLET WAS CARRIED AS A LEAD STORY IN BOTH ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS ON JANUARY 25, (SUNDAY). THE SCMP HAD HEADLINES +HONG KONG SHAMEFUL - CLAIM+ AND THE HONG KONG STANDARD, +UK MOVE FOR MASSIVE HK REFORM+.
IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PAPERS IT WAS FRONT PAGE LEAD STORY IN KUNG SHEUNG AND MING PO AND WAS PROMINENTLY COVERED BY SING TAO JIH PAO AND FAI PO ON INSIDE PAGES. HONG KONG TIMES, WAH KIU AND TIN TIN GAVE IT ROUTINE COVERAGE ONLY. SING PO AND HONG KONG DAILY NEWS DID NOT MENTION IT. NEITHER DID ANY OF THE COMMUNIST PAPERS.
THE SCMP REPORT ON JANUARY 25 CARRIED EXTRACTS FROM THE PAMPHLET BUT IN A DOUBLE COLUMN ON THE FRONT PAGE ALSO CARRIED THE GOVERNMENT STATEMENT UNDER THE HEADLINE +BIASED, OUT OF DATE ATTACK+. THE SCMP LED ITS REPORT ON THE GOVERNMENT STATEMENT BY SAYING THAT MUCH OF THE FABIAN SOCIETY'S CRITICISM OF CHINA WAS SIMILAR TO SOVIET PROPAGANDA BROADSIDES AT CHINA. UNLIKE THE HONG KONG STANDARD THE SCMP DID NOT CARRY COMMENTS BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT CRITICS= HONG KONG STANDARD QUOTED MRS. ELLIOTT AS WHOLE-HEARTEDLY WELCOMING THE FABIAN SOCIETY'S MOVE.
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