GRS 680
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 017
OF 050745Z JANUARY 87
CONFIDENTIAL
(CORRECTED VERSION)
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
2
UKA 400/1
IN REGISTRY
13 JAN 1987
LUK OFFIQU
PA
ISTRY
ction Taken
ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW GOVERNOR : MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
AS SOON AS THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW GOVERNOR IS ANNOUNCED,
THE HONG KONG MEDIA WILL WANT TO INTERVIEW HIM. THE PUBLIC WILL
ALSO WANT AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HIM, IF ONLY ON TELEVISION.
2.
THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WERE MADE WHEN THE APPOINTMENT OF THE
LATE SIR EDWARD YOUDE WAS ANNOUNCED ON 22 DECEMBER 1981 WERE AS
FOLLOWS:
(A) SIR EDWARD GAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE HKGO LONDON AT
120OZ ON THE SAME DAY, ATTENDED BY UK JOURNALISTS AND LONDON-BASED
HONG KONG CORRESPONDENTS.
(B) HALF AN HOUR LATER, HE ANSWERED QUESTIONS OVER THE TELEPHONE
FROM HONG KONG REPORTERS WHO ASSEMBLED AT THE GIS PRESS CONFERENCE
ROOM. THESE REPORTERS HAD BEEN ASKED TO SUBMIT THEIR QUESTIONS
ONE DAY IN ADVANCE. THE Q AND A SESSION LASTED FOR ABOUT HALF
AN HOUR.
(C) TRANSCRIPTS OF BOTH (A) AND (B) WERE ISSUED BY GIS OVER THE
TELEPRINTER THAT EVENING.
{D} IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING (B), SIR EDWARD GAVE SEPARATE
INTERVIEWS TO ATV AND TVB THROUGH ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE LONDON
OFFICE.
(E) IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO SIR EDWARD'S DEPARTURE FROM THE UK FOR
HONG KONG, HE DID A NUMBER OF ONE-ON-ONE 'PROFILE' INTERVIEWS WITH
HONG KONG MEDIA ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING ONE TVB INTERVIEW WITH
EMILY LAU.
3. THESE ARRANGEMENTS WORKED WELL AND WERE APPRECIATED BY THE
HONG KONG MEDIA AT THE TIME. CLEARLY THEY WILL EXPECT NO LESS ON
THIS OCCASION, AND FOR LOCAL PRESENTATIONAL REASONS IT WOULD BE
DESIRABLE IF THE HONG KONG MEDIA WERE ALLOWED ACCESS TO THE
APPOINTEE AHEAD OF THE UK MEDIA, AND IF THE REQUIREMENT TO SUBMIT
QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE COULD BE DISPENSED WITH (BEARING IN MIND THE NEGATIVE REACTION FROM LOCAL JOURNALISTS TO SUCH A REQUIREMENT REING IMPOSED PRIOR TO JI PENGFEI'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG
IN DECEMBER 1995). CONFIDENTIAL
See (5
کہتا