GRS 450
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 89
OF 09074OZ JANUARY 86
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
WHITE PAPER ON THE DRAFT NATIONALITY ORDER 1986 : MOTION IN LEGCO ON 8 JANUARY : SUMMARY OF MEDIA COVERAGE.
SUMMARY
1. THE MOTION MOVED BY MISS DUN ON THE WHITE PAPER WAS REPORTED *AN THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA ON THE EVENING OF 8 JANUARY AND IN THE PRESS TODAY. MOST PAPERS HIGHLIGHTED THE UNANIMOUS SUPPORT OF THE MOTION BY BOTH OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF LEGCO AND THE APPLAUSE GIVEN TO MISS DUNN'S STRONGLY WORDED SPEECH. THE SCMP AND THE STANDARD CARRIED THE FULL TEXT OF MISS DUNN'S SPEECH. MOST PAPERS PRINTED VERBATIM THE THREE REQUESTS PUT FORWARD N HER SPEECH WHICH REPRESENTED THE UNANIMOUS VIEWS OF UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ON THE NATIONALITY PROPOSALS. THE PAPERS ALSO EMPHASIZED MISS DUNN'S PLEA THE THE REQUESTS WERE MODEST AND IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE FOP THE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO IGNORE THEM.
DETAIL
THE
2. THREE EDITORIALS APPEARED IN THE PRESS TODAY ON THIS SUBJECT. IN AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED THE SOUND OF TWO HANDS CLAPPING'', SCMP COMPLIMENTED MISS DUNN WHO, IN ONE OF THE BRIEFEST SPEECHES, HAD ECHOED THE SENTIMENTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON A SUBJECT OF DEEP CONCERN AND ANXIETY TO ALL. IT ALSO SAID, IN CONCLUDING REMARKS, THAT THIS IS NOT A PLEA FOR SYMPATHY OR UNDERSTANDING, BUT FOR BRITAIN TO ACCEPT ITS RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. WE WERE BROUGHT UP TO BELIEVE THAT ITS WORD WAS ITS BOND. WE ASK FOR ITS EARLY CONFIRMATION OF THAT PRECEPT''.
3. THE STANDARD DESCRIBED THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY MISS DUNN AS THE **MOVING BUT STRONG CRY FOR ONE LAST ACT OF JUSTICE'. IT QUERIED WHAT WERE THE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS OF PRINCIPLE REFERRED TO IN THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S SPEECH AND SAW THE UNOFFICIALS ATTEMPT AS THE FINAL TEST OF GREAT BRITAIN'S HONOUR AND OBLIGATION TOWARDS HONG
KONG.