UNCLASSIFIED
HKB 020/14.
(3
127420
MDLIAN 3778
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO
1712
OF 25113OZ MAY 89
TOP COPY
Q DE
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, TOKYO INFO ROUTINE HKGOS WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, BRUSSELS INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA, UKREP JLG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE UKDEL NATO, ALL EURPEAN COMMUNITY POSTS
STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS : PRESS COVERAGE:
SUMMARY:
1. THE PAPERS, INCLUDING THE LEFT-WING WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG PAO, CONTINUED TO GIVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO VARIOUS ACTIVITIES IN HK IN
SUPPORT OF THE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN PEKING.
COVERAGE
2. PAPERS REPORTED ABOUT 100,000 LOCAL RESIDENTS ATTENDED A MASS RALLY AT VICTORIA PARK LAST NIGHT, CALLING FOR THE DOWNFALL OF LI PENG, (POLICE ESTIMATE INFACT 50-60,000). THE ALL HK ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT OF THE CHINESE PATRIOTIC PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT, WHICH ORGANISED THE RALLY, ISSUED AN OPEN STATEMENT NOTING THAT THE SITUATION WAS STILL VERY TENSE AND THAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD NOT RELAX. A SPOKESMAN SAID THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE TO THE STREETS ANYTIME AND CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE.
SENIOR LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE, ON BEHALF OF LEGCO MEMBERS, ISSUED
A STATEMENT YESTERDAY SAYING THAT IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED IN THE HISTORY OF HK THAT THE MILLION PEOPLE PARADE ON SUNDAY WAS SO ORDERLY AND PEACEFUL, THE PAPERS REPORTED.
3. IN THE LIGHT OF REPORTS THAT NPC CHAIRMAN WAN LI WAS LIKELY TO CONVENE A MEETING OF THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE, 13 HK DEPUTIES TO THE NPC YESTERDAY WROTE TO TWO HK DELEGATES TO THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE, XU JIATUN AND HENRY FOK, REQUESTING THAT ALL HK DEPUTIES BE PRESENT AT CHINA' NPC MEETING IN ORDER TO REFLECT HK PEOPLE'S FELLINGS. THE HK DAILY NEWS REPORTED THAT XU LEFT HK FOR PEKING LAST NIGHT. IT BELIEVED THAT XU WAS TO ATTEND AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF CHINA'S POLITBURO TO DISCUSS THE LATEST SITUATION IN PEKING.