AIR MAIL
RESTR
Ref: CR 7/3051/70 II
Dear Kobsin,
Registo
Mr
Moufonis
25
Al conside what acton
is needed (ey on X)
ушелся
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT,
ध्
HONG KONG.
a wange from reply to hendon for taking account of i
4 October 1979
Akkziolz
Please let me see on pie 8210160
Child Labour in Hong Kong
No
RIMR
PCO
Please refer to Patrick Williamson's etter of
27 July to John Chambers.
2.
We have studied the Anti-Slavery Society's report which is a very one-sided document based largely on outdated statistics. The report received some coverage in the local press at the end of August, and there was a fairly robust and indignant response to it at the time. It has not attracted any further attention in Hong Kong.
3.
28
30
3D
Rather than dealing with this matter point by point in this letter, I attach a separate statement of comments which should give you sufficient ammunition to refute the many allegations and inaccuracies in the report. X I hope you will feel able to pass a copy of this correspondence
to UKMIS Geneva for their use and advice.
4.
It is a pity that a vigorous response was not made on our behalf during the Fifth Session of the UN Working Group on Slavery, limited, if necessary, to the lines of paragraph 2 of Harry Hurst's minute of 13 July 1979 to your Department (which Patrick Williamson forwarded on 27 July together with the Anti-Slavery Society for the Protection of Human Rights' Report). Of course, we are partly to blame for not enquiring immediately when the paper was likely to be published or discussed, and we would welcome advice on how to prevent a recurrence of unfortunate incidents of this sort.
hour
dvin
Krie
( E. P. Ho)
Secretary for Social Services
R.J.T. McLaren, Esq.,
Hong Kong & General Dept.,
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
London SW1A 2AH,
United Kingdom.
CC: D.C. Bray, Esq., CMG, CVO,
HK Commissioner, London
TRICTE