HKK 04012.
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2 0 JUN 1983
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
88
GR 500
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 170949Z JUN 83
TO PRIORITY F C O
CONFIDENTIAL
INDEX
TELEGRAM NUMBER 818 OF 17 JUNE
PA
Action Taken
TOP COPY I shall incorpor
incorporate
all this
up
in the next round
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, HONG
KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS
AND GENEVA.
FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE
preee for
Ed.
2
The
3/4
шебели рат
THE SPEECH BY MISS LYDIA DUNN AT THE HONG KONG ASSOCIATION'S
DRAGON BOAT DINNER IN LONDON ON 15 JUNE WAS PROMINENTLY AND
EXTENSIVELY REPORTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS, BOTH ENGLISH AND
CHINESE LANGUAGE. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (SCMP) AND THREE
CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS CARRIED THE FULL TEXT OF HER SPEECH.
THE TWO LEADING COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG
PAO, ALSO REPORTED THE SPEECH. THE WEN WI PO OMITTED THE PASSAGE
RECALLING MY STATEMENT IN MY T.V. INTERVIEW ON 20 MAY THAT THE TALKS
WERE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE TA KUNG PAO INCLUDED THIS
PASSAGE BUT ITS COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTED MISS DUNN'S ASSURANCES THAT
THE PRESENT ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES WOULD NOT CAUSE PERMANENT
DAMAGE.
2. A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS APPEARED TO MISINTERPRET MISS DUNN'S REMARKS ABOUT THE FUTURE AS MEANING THAT A JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT BY BRITAIN AND CHINA WAS IMMINENT.
3. THE SCMP AND THE (INDEPENDENT) WAH KIU YAT PO HAVE COMMENTED EDITORIALLY ON MISS DUNN'S SPEECH. THE SCMP SAID THAT SHE SPOKE
FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS BOTH LOCAL AND
EXPATRIATE. MISS DUNN WAS CORRECT TO EMPHASISE THAT THE LEGAL AND
ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK IN HONG KONG HAD NOT BEEN CREATED
OVERNIGHT BUT HAD BEEN BUILT UP OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS. THE
GENUINE MISGIVINGS OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE THREAT TO
THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE EASILY OR QUICKLY REMOVED. THE WAH KIU
YAT PO ALSO SAID THAT MISS DUNN SPOKE WITH AUTHORITY, GIVEN THE
IMPORTANT POSTS SHE HELD AND THAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD PAY CAREFUL
ATTENTION TO HER REMARKS.
CONFIDENTIAL
14. THERE
20/6
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