SECRET
10843
OCMIAN 0843
SECRET
OO HOKON
FM FCOLN TO HOKON
151730Z JAN
GRS 900
01112
DECEIVED IN REGISTRY
14 JAN 1907
OFFICER
PA
SECRET
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 120
OF 151730Z JANUARY 87
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
On
PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR FROM HUM, HONG KONG DEPT
MY 3 IPTS: 1987 REVIEW
FOLLOWING IS REMAINDER OF REVISED TEXT OF DRAFT PAPER.
BEGINS
24.
AT PRESENT IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW
ON THE DIRECT ELECTIONS ISSUE WILL BE ALONG ONE OF FOUR POSSIBLE
LINES:
(I)
(II)
WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN HONG
KONG WERE CLEARLY OPPOSED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT
ELECTIONS IN 1988. THIS WOULD EVIDENTLY BE WELCOMED BY
THE CHINESE. IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THAT THIS
ASSESSMENT WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED IN HONG KONG, SO THAT WE
COULD DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST THE CRITICISM THAT WE HAD
DEFERRED TO CHINESE WISHES.
WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THERE WAS NO CLEAR CONSENSUS, AND
THAT THEREFORE NO DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT SHOULD BE
INTRODUCED IN 1988, WITH THE QUESTION BEING REVIEWED
AGAIN AT A LATER DATE (SAY 1990). THE CHINESE WOULD ALSO
BE CONTENT WITH THIS. ONCE AGAIN, HOWEVER, WHETHER SUCH
A LINE WOULD BE POLITICALLY TENABLE IN HONG KONG WOULD
1
SECRET
17
-
1
See 18
Sed
123