CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 4764
OF 16093OZ DECEMBER 87
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY Q DIST
HURB 011/4 वापि
RECEIVED IN deliain)
056303
MDHIAN 0598
1 8 DEC 1987
OLBE OFFICER
INDEX
YOUR TELNOS 3245 AND 3264 : ANNUAL REPORT ON HONG KONG
WE AGREE WITH BOTH
SUGGESTIONS REFERRED TO IN SECOND TUR AND HAVE
NOW AMENDED THE DRAFT ACCORDINGLY.
2. EXCO CONSIDERED THE DRAFT REPORT YESTERDAY (15 DECEMBER), AND
SUGGESTED THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS
(A) PAR 4; PAGE 6, LINE 3
DELETE 'LIMITED'
BEFORE
'EXPANSION'
(B) PARA 10 LAST TWO SENTENCES SHOULD BE AMENDED TO READ : ''THE
UPTAKE OF BN (0) PASSPORTS HAS BEEN SLOW, BUT HOLDERS OF THESE PASSPORTS HAVE ENCOUNTERED NO PRACTICAL PROBLEMS. THE GOVERNMENT WILL
MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT BN (0) PASSPORT HOLDERS ENJOY THE SAME VISA FREE PRIVILEGES AS HONG KONG BDTC PASSPORT HOLDERS'':
(C)
PARA 20 SECOND SENTENCE SHOULD BE AMENDED TO READ
ΤΟ
THE SURVEY OFFICE, AND THERE WERE NEARLY 170 PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS
AND OVER 20 SIGNATURE CAMPAIGNS. THE RESPONSE WAS FAR GREATER THAN IN ANY PREVIOUS CONSULTATION EXERCISE : THERE WERE, FOR EXAMPLE,
ONLY 364 SUBMISSIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE 1984 GREEN PAPER ON THE
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
(D) PARA 21
•
FOURTH SENTENCE SHOULD BE AMENDED TO READ
THE
SURVEY OFFICE REPORT AND THE PUBLIC REACTION TO IT, INCLUDING THE
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DEBATE, ARE NOW BEING
THE FINAL
SENTENCE SHOULD BE DELETED.
•
INSERT
11
(E) PARA 30 : AFTER FIRST SENTENCE,
'COMMENTS WERE MADE TO
THE EFFECT THAT THE HONG KONG DOLLAR WAS UNDERVALUED, BUT THE HONG
KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE MADE CLEAR THEIR INTENT TO MAINTAIN THE LINK
BETWEEN THE HONG KONG DOLLAR AND THE US DOLLAR AT THE PRESENT RATE''
(F) PAR 71 : WHICH PROHIBITS THE DELIBERATE PUBLICATION OF FALSE
NEWS'' SHOULD BE REPLACED BY 'WHICH MAKES IT AN OFFENCE TO PUBLISH
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
70