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to make known their demands and wishes to the world would the international community attach weight to their call for freedom. However, the left-wing Tin Fung Yat Po said most HK people were not interested in politics as long as they could lead a decent life here. The paper envisaged that any campaign to fight for democracy would not get public support.
Mr. Walden said the ball lay firmly in the court of HK's Chinese community. If they could form groups to lobby on bus fare rises and increases in electricity charges, they were capable of forming themselves into a coalition to speak out on the important question of their future. In his original speech he had criticised Legco and Exco members for being reluctant to criticise Government policy: of 10 UMELCO members the SCMP sought for comment on Mr. Walden's remarks, only two could be contacted and they refused to say anything. A Government Secretariat spokesman said that he, like any other member of the public, was free to express his opinions. The chairman of Meeting Point, Mr. Lau Nai-keung, disagreed with Mr. Walden's remarks. New democratic channels to the Government must be created, new political links must be formed, then worked within. Mr. Walden answered this criticism by saying there was not time for that; it took years to make a Government representative. In an editorial headed 'The people's voice must be heard', the SCMP said it would be a pity if people were to deduce from Mr. Walden's talk that the Government was against people speaking up on the 1997 issue. The Observers said HK people should make known their desire to retain 'their freedom to the governments of London and Beijing: and if this required a coalition to organise such an expression, then one should be formed. In a statement, the group said any coalition must be of the people from those living in squatter huts to those on the Peak. Although their public opinion poll had shown that 87 per cent thought maintenance of the status quo acceptable, it was unrealistic to expect all of them to ask the British to remain beyond 1997. The inference from the poll was satisfaction with British rule, but it also showed a large number of people were not happy with the HK Government. A letter in the Standard said Mr. Walden had impressed a section of the local community with his statements and pronouncements before and after his retirement from HK Government service; he now exhorted the people of HK to speak up, but having served the Government for 30 years he must know that for 140 years the HK Government had maintained a policy of discouraging HK people from speaking up.
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STATE SECRETS LEAKED:
A China News Agency despatch said a vice-director of the United Front Office in the Guangzhou municipal government, Dai Zhen, was given 12 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of selling state secrets to Wen Fei, the editor of Cheng Ming magazine in HK. Dai had allegedly supplied classified information to Wen in exchange for gifts since March, 1978. The Oriental Daily News said Dai was an ardent supporter of Deng Xiaopeng and had worked with Wen Wei Po between 1948-49. The HK Times said Dai was arrested in mid-1981 when China also exerted pressure on Cheng Ming, withholding information and financial support to its newly-established newspaper which was suspended after one month. Wen Wei Po reprinted an article in the Yangcheng Evening Post which said Dai personally wrote for Cheng Ming about the change in the Guangdong leadership and had supplied Wen with restricted and confidential documents. Dai had leaked information about the timing
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