RESTRICTED
B) UNOFFICIALS' RESPONSE. EIGHT UNOFFICIALS WERE WIDELY REPORTED AS HAVING ATTENDED THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S BRIEFING LAST NIGHT. THEY WERE REPOPTED AS TOEING THE LINE THAT THEIR FORMAL REACTION WOULD DEPEND ON THEIR IN-HOUSE MEETING TOMORROW. SZETO WAH IS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID THAT HMG'S CONCESSIONS DESERVED 73 POINTS OUT OF A HUNDRED: AND THAT THE RESPONSE TO THE MINORITIES' REQUEST WAS UNSATISFACTORY BUT SOME PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE. DESMOND LEE IS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID THAT MORE EFFORTS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO PRESS HOME THE MINORITIES
REQUEST.
B. ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PRESS
5. 90TH SCMP AND HK STANDARD ADOPTED AS THEIR HEADLINES HMG'S REJECTION OF THE MINORITIES' REQUEST. THEIR REPORTS ARE OTHERWISE FAIRLY BALANCED. BOTH PAPERS REPORTED THE INDIANS' ASSOCIATION'S DESCRIPTION OF THE REJECTION AS 'DISGUSTING'. THE HK STANDARD REPORTED THE JCW'S CONDEMNATION OF THE REJECTION, AND THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF MARTIN LEE AND ANDREW WONG AT THE REJECTION. IT ALSO REPORTED THE SOMEWHAT PESSIMISTIC REACTION OF LORD CHITNIS AND
MR. ALFRED DUBS.
6. ON THE FORMER SERVICEMEN, BOTH PAPERS REPORTED THE FAVOURABLE REACTION OF JACK EDWARDS, THEIR REPRESENTATIVE. COMPARATIVELY SMALL COVERAGE WAS GIVEN TO THE ENDORSEMENT IN BN(0) PASSPORTS. THE STANDARD ALSO PROMINENTLY COVERED CHIEF SECRETARY'S FAVOURABLE
REACTION.
YOUDE
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
HD/NTD
RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)
DEP HD/PUSD
PS
PS/MR RENTON
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING MR WILSON MR BARRINGTON
COPIES TO:
MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT
MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR GRAINGER, LEGAL ADVISERS
MR D MCDOUGALL, MVD
MR HYDE, HOME OFFICE
MR EMERY, B4 DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON
MR NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFICE
ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.
MR MCDONOUGH, B2 DIV, HOME OFFICE MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS
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