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4. THE REPORTED REBUFF TO THE UNOFFICIALS WAS NOT ENTIRELY
UNEXPECTED IN HONG KONG IN VIEW OF PEKING'S REACTION TO THE
MANIFESTO WHICH UMELCO ISSUED BEFORE VISITING LONDON IN MAY.
PERHAPS FOR THIS REASON, IT DID NOT PROVOKE THE LARGE-SCALE
EXPRESSIONS OF PUBLIC SUPPORT AND SYMPATHY FOR UMELCO WHICH HAD BEEN EVIDENT DURING THE LONDON VISIT.
5. NONETHELESS, REPORTS FROM DISTRICT OFFICERS SUGGEST THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR UMELCO, AND SYMPATHY FOR
SIR S.Y. CHUNG PERSONALLY. DENG HIMSELF IS NOW WIDELY SEEN AS
ARROGANT, AUTHORITARIAN AND VINDICTIVE. DISTRICT OFFICERS REPORT
THAT VIRTUALLY ALL THEIR CONTACTS BELIEVED THE UMELCO ACCOUNT OF
WHAT DENG SAID ABOUT CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG IN PREFERENCE TO THE
NCNA ACCOUNT. CORROBORATION FOR THIS VIEW COMES FROM FINDINGS OF
AN OPINION POLL CONDUCTED BY A FIRM USING RESPECTABLE STATISTICAL
TECHNIQUES AND PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST,
ACCORDING TO WHICH 79 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS THOUGHT THE UNOFFICIALS
WERE RIGHT TO GO TO PEKING. ASKED ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH
THE UNOFFICIALS PUT TO THE CHINESE IN PEKING, 78 PERCENT AGREED THAT THE BASIC LAW SHOULD BE DRAFTED IN HONG KONG, AND 74 PERCENT
WANTED A SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT TO BE DETAILED AND BINDING. SUPPORT
FOR UMELCO, AND CONCERN ABOUT THE FUTURE, WERE HIGHEST AMONG THE
BETTER-EDUCATED RESPONDENTS.
6. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, EVEN MORE VOCAL SUPPORT FOR UMELCO
MIGHT PERHAPS HAVE BEEN EXPECTED. ONE DISTRICT OFFICER CONSIDERS
''THAT MANY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE AFRAID OF ANNOYING THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT AT THIS STAGE''. ANOTHER DETECTS GROWING FEELINGS OF
HELPLESSNESS, FUTILITY, CYNICISM AND RESIGNATION TO FATE. MORE ROBUSTLY, THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST URGED FUTURE DELEGATIONS TO PEKING TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS, AND NOT TO BE DETERRED
BY THE UMELCO EXPERIENCE. ''SOMEHOW THE CHINESE LEADERS HAVE TO BE
CONVINCED THAT PROMISES MUST BE BACKED BY SOMETHING MORE BINDING
THAN PUBLIC ASSURANCES. LEGAL SAFEGUARDS ARE PARAMOUNT.'
7. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER VISITS TO PEKING IN PROSPECT. THE
NCNA HAVE INDICATED THAT A SECOND GROUP OF UMELCO MEMBERS,
INCLUDING MR LOBO, HAS NOW BEEN INVITED TO VISIT PEKING DURING
AUGUST. A GROUP OF TUNG WAH HOSPITAL DIRECTORS WILL ALSO GO THERE
IN AUGUST, WITH A VIEW TO SOUNDING OUT CHINA'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS
TRADITIONAL CHINESE COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS IN HONG KONG. A GROUP
OF HONG KONG STUDENTS HAVE JUST STARTED A FORTNIGHT'S VISIT AT
THE INVITATION OF THE ALL-CHINA FEDERATION OF STUDENTS UNION AND
PLAN TO TELL THEIR HOSTS THAT THERE SHOULD BE DIRECT ELECTIONS IN
HONG KONG DURING THE TRANSITION TO 1997. A DELEGATION OF GRAMENT
MANUFACTURERS PLANS TO GO TO PEKING LATER THIS MONTH. ADDITIONALLY,
A GROUP OF ELECTED DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS ARE ANXIOUS TO VISIT
PEKING, BUT DO NOT YET SEEM TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT BY
THE NCNA.
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