UNCLASSIFIED
101755 MDLIAN 6709
OVER REFUGEE TALKS'' SCMP SAID THAT LORD GLENARTHUR'S COMMENT THAT BRITAIN HAD BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH HANOI OVER THE VR QUESTION FOR A LONG TIME WAS IN CONFLICT WITH STATEMENTS BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE AND TWO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THAT NO OFFICIAL CONTACTS WITH HANOI HAD BEEN MADE. THE HK STANDARD LED WITH THE MINISTER'S REMARKS ON THE VR QUESTION UNDER THE HEADLINE ''HK MUZZLED OVER REFUGEES SAYING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS REFUSING TO ALLOW HK TO CONTACT ''NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES TO SEEK WAYS TO SOLVE THE VR PROBLEM AND WAS INSTEAD INTENSIFYING ITS NEGOTIATIONS WITH VIETNAM TO SEEK A SOLUTION. THE REPORT ADDED THAT LORD GLENARTHUR HAD DENIED THAT HMG HAD TRIED TO KEEP LEGCO MEMBERS IN THE DARK ABOUT THE TALKS.
GREEN PAPER:
4.
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TA KUNG PAO AND WAH KIU YAT PAO HIGHLIGHTED THE MINISTER'S STATEMENT THAT A KEY OBJECTIVE IN UK FOREIGN POLICY WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS IMPLEMENTED IN FULL AND TO ENSURE THE CONTINUING PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HK. SING TAO JIH PAO, THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS AND THE (PRO-TAIWAN) HK TIMES SAID IN HEADLINES THAT BRITAIN WOULD ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE TO PUBLIC OPINION OVER THE REVIEW. THE HK COMMERCIAL DAILY STRESSED THE MINISTER'S REFUSAL TO PREJUDGE THE OUTCOME OF THE POLITICAL REVIEW. SIMILARLY, THE HK DAILY NEWS NOTED HIS COMMENT THAT ANY DECISIONS REGARDING HK'S POLITICAL SYSTEM WOULD HAVE TO BE TAKEN AFTER THE SURVEY OFFICE HAD SUBMITTED ITS REPORT. THE STANDARD QUOTED LORD GLENARTHUR AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD ONLY BACK THE OPTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS NEXT YEAR IF THIS WAS SUPPORTED BY A CLEAR MAJORITY OF PEOPLE. THE PAPER ADDED THAT THE MINISTER HAD REFUSED TO GIVE AN EXACT DEFINITION OF WHAT HE MEANT BY A 'CLEAR MAJORITY''. SUCH COMMENTS REFLECTED A MAJOR THEME OF QUESTIONING
AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
COMMENT/REACTION
5. REACTION FOCUSSED ON THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL REFORM BUT THERE WAS SOME COMMENT ON OTHER ISSUES. SING PAO REGRETTED THAT LORD GLENARTHUR HAD OFFERED NO HELP TO HK ON THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. IN THE WAKE OF REDUCED INTAKES BY OTHER COUNTRIES THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS FOR HK TO NEGOTIATE DIRECTLY WITH VIETNAM TO TAKE BACK ''ECONOMIC REFUGEES''. NEVERTHELESS THE PAPER WELCOMED THE NEWS THAT THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN HANOI HAD BEEN ASKED TO STEP UP CONTACTS OVER VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THIS WAS A
''MINOR BREAKTHROUGH'
6
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WAH KIU YAT PAO URGED THE HK GOVERNMENT TO CALL ON THE
2
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UNCLASSIFIED