布政司署
CONFIDENTIAL
Ri
REC400/2
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER
16FEB1981
HONG KONG
3 February 1981
I'd they seek m
unstmachin's he fore putting пок?
nok? They stnd have done
香港下亞厘畢道
** OUR Ref.: SCR 1/1167/55 XII
來函檔號 YOUR REF.:
RJT McLaren Esq
Far Eastern Department F C/O
感
Mr Pay R+R
m16/2
M. McLaren.
The Embassy did not sech instructions (see Owens lever of 26 January) We shd now await
Embargo forthe
commen
PROTECTION OF HONG KONG BRITISH SUBJECTS IN CHINA
We received today your letter of 21 January to
in reply to her request for assistance
for her uncle
2.
Miss Cham appears to have written to a large number of people about this case. Since the reactions of different parts of the UK/Hong Kong Government apparatus have been different, I think we need to look at this case with some care both to co-ordinate the line we are taking and to decide on policy for the future.
3.
First, the additional facts as known to us here. Miss Cham wrote to the British Trade Commission (as the "British Consulate") on 13 October last year. The letter was passed to Immigration Department who asked her to get in touch but held out little hope of being able to help. They spoke to her, pointed out the warning about dual nationality which appears at the back of every passport and. explained that her uncle would probably be considered as Chinese when in China. Miss Cham later approached Mrs Elsie Elliott who wrote on her behalf to the Chief Secretary; she also wrote directly to the Governor. The replies to both these letters are attached.
4.
Miss Cham also wrote to two US Senators and the US Consulate-General here. Their reply was that they could not intervene since her uncle is a naturalised British subject.
5.
What our people here did not know was that Miss Cham had also written to the Embassy in Peking and to Mr Blaker. The Embassy immediately took action with a note to the MF A on 24 December (Owen's letter to Paul of 26 January). I do not know if they have written to Miss Cham to say that they have done so.
CONFIDENTIAL
/contd.