GRS 1700
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 228
OF 21104OZ JANUARY 86
ник ошолу
148
22 JAN 1986
TOP OGRY
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
"FICER
PA
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING
MIPT : WHITE PAPER ON NATIONALITY : SUMMARY OF MEDIA
COVERAGE ON 18 JANUARY
COVERAGE
THE MEDIA GAVE PROMINENT AND EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO THE UMELCO'S STATEMENT WHICH SAID MEMBERS WERE PROFOUNDLY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS UMELCO'S REQUEST OVER THE NATIONALITY ISSUE. REACTION FROM THE PUBLIC AND THE PRESS TO THE COMMONS DEBATE WAS OVERWHELMINGLY UNFAVOURABLE.
MANY PAPERS USED STRONG-WORDED HEADLINES SAYING THAT UMELCO VOWED TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT UNTIL THE REQUESTS WERE MET. THE ORIENTAL DAMY NEWS SAID PN HEADLINES THAT UMELCO WAS ANGRY AT BRITAIN'S BETRAYAL OF ITS NATIONALS IN HK. IT ALSO NOTED SENHOR EXCO UNOFFICIAL SIR S.Y. CHUNG'S WARNING THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UMELCO AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD BE STRAINED. THE HK DAILY NEWS HEADLINED ITS REPORT THAT UMELCO HAD LOST FACE OVER THE MSSUE BUT EVEN MORE SAD WAS THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT WOULD BECOME A LAME-DUCK ADMINISTRATION.
THE ORIENTAL DAILY SAND A DRAFT OF THE UMELCO'S STATEMENT HAD BEEN SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR SIR EDWARD YOUDE FOR HIM TO STUDY BEFORE
T WAS MADE PUBLIC. THE PAPER ADDED THAT FORMER GOVERNOR LORD MACLEHOSE ATTENDED THE FULL SESSION OF THE DEBATE IN THE PUBLIC
GALLERY.
COVERAGE IN THE LEFT-WING PAPERS WAS GOOD ALTHOUGH NOT AS PROMINENT AS IN INDEPENDENT PAPERS. WEN WE PO SAID MN HEADLANNES OF NTS REPORT THAT THE RULING CONSERVATIVE PARTY AND THE OPPOSITION WERE DIVIDED IN THEIR VIEWS OVER THE ISSUE.
IN THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PRESS, THE SCM POST SAID IN FRONT PAGE LEAD THAT UMELCO RAPPED BRITAIN OVER THE NATIONALITY VOTE, WHILE THE HK STANDARD'S FRONT PAGE HEADLINE READ WARMING TO
BRITAIN AS PASSPORT PLEA FALTER''
PUBLIC REACTION
COMMUNITY FIGURES INTERVIEWED BY THE NEWS MEDHA CONDEMNED BRITAIN FOR TS FAILURE AND RELUCTANCE TO HONOUR ITS OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS
HK PEOPLE.
I LEGCO.