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RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY
F CO
AF
MUB 040/2.
TELNO 0340
2 7 JAN 1988
OF 2515OUZ JANUARY 88
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
75
002717
MDLIAN 4735
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
PART ONE OF TWO
OUR TELNO 297 : DEBATE ON HONG KONG : MEDIA COVERAGE
THE HONG KONG MEDIA CONTINUED TO ACCORD EXTENSIVE COVERAGE ON
22 AND 23 JANUARY TO REPORTS AND COMMENTS ON THE DEBATE.
2. SEVERAL CHINESE PAPERS AND RADIO AND TV PROGRAMMES REPORTED
FURTHER ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S SPEECH, AND HIGHLIGHTED HIS REMARK THAT A TIMETABLE SHOULD BE SET FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT
ELECTIONS IN HK. THE PAPERS ALSO REPORTED REMARKS BY THE CHIEF
SECRETARY, WHO HAD SAID ON 21 JANUARY THAT THE DEBATE DEMONSTRATED
THE INTEREST THAT PARLIAMENT TOOK IN HK AFFAIRS.
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3. SIR S.Y CHUNG WAS REPORTEDLY UNHAPPY THAT THE DIRECT ELECTIONS CONTROVERSY HAD OVERSHADOWED OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES. COMMENTS BY
SOME LEGCO MEMBERS WERE ALSO REPORTED. SELINA CHOW SAID THE DEBATE
HAD GIVEN AN INDICATION OF WHAT WAS GOING TO BE IN THE WHITE PAPER.
SHE SAID THE DEBATE SHOWED THAT THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF INTEREST IN
HK IN BRITAIN. PETER POON DESCRIBED THE DEBATE AS USEFUL AND THOROUGH
HE WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF THE WHITE PAPER WOULD NOT SET OUT A
TIMETABLE FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS. HELMUT SOHMEN
SAID HE WAS ENCOURAGED TO SEE THE LEVEL OF INTEREST IN PARLIAMENT
IN HK AFFAIRS. ALTHOUGH THE DEBATE HAD NOT SOLVED THE ISSUE OF
DIRECT ELECTIONS, IT WAS NONETHELESS USEFUL. SZETO WAH SAID THAT
THE SPEECHES BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE CONTAINED NO NEW IDEAS. HE
AND HUI YIN FAT SAID THAT THE INCLUSION OF A TIMETABLE FOR THE
INTRODUCTION OF
DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER WAS A GOOD
PROPOSAL AS IT COULD BOOST HK PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE. STEPHEN CHEONG
FELT THAT SIR GEOFFREY'S SPEECHES WERE IN LINE WITH THE STAND OF THE
HK AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS OF ADHERING TO THE JOINT DECLARATION AND
DOING THINGS IN THE LONG-TERM INTERESTS OF THE TERRITORY RITA FAN
SAID THAT IF THE WHITE PAPER DID NOT PROVIDE FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS
THIS YEAR, IT MUST ATLEAST CONTAIN SOME TIMETABLE FOR THEIR INTRODUCTION. HO SAI-CHU DESCRIBED SIR GEOFFREY'S SPEECH AS ''A VERY
GOOD ONE'' AS IT STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF PEKING TO THE LONG-TERM
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