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INDEED AT A LATER STAGE THE STUDENTS WERE AT PAINS TO EXPRESS THEIR OVERALL LOYALTY TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA.
3. IN OUR DISCUSSION, HOWEVER, ALL AMBASSADORS AGREED THAT THERE HAD BEEN SERIOUS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS SINCE 3 JUNE. ALL APPLAUDED THE COLLECTIVE CONDEMNATION OF THE DECISION TO USE MASSIVE ARMED FORCE AGAINST AN UNARMED CIVILIAN POPULATION. BUT MOST AMBASSADORS FELT THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR OUR GOVERNMENTS TO BE MUCH MORE SCRUPULOUS (AT LEAST IN FORMAL STATEMENTS) IN THEIR CHOICE OF LANGUAGE AND IN THEIR TARGETS FOR CONDEMNATION. (THE DRAFTING OF ANY STATEMENT AT THE PARIS ECONOMIC SUMMIT WOULD BE A CASE IN POINT).
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MY OWN THOUGHT IS THAT IF THERE ARE FURTHER FORMAL CRITICISMS TO BE MADE OF CHINA FOR ITS PAST ACTIONS AND/OR NEW ARRESTS AND EXECUTIONS, SUCH STATEMENTS SHOULD BE BASED ON GENERAL AND INCONTROVERTIBLE POINTS SUCH AS THE BLATANT AND RECKLESS USE OF FORCE ON UNARMED CIVILIANS, THE DAMAGE DONE TO HUMAN LIFE AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PEKING EVENTS AND SUBSEQUENT REPRESSION, AND THE GENERAL DENIAL OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION. (THIS IS STILL INTENSIFYING AS THE GOVERNMENT'S ''BIG LIE AND INTIMIDATION CAMPAIGNS GET INTO THEIR SWING). PHRASES LIKE ''PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT' ''THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE AND
''EXECUTIONS OF THOSE WHO ONLY WANTED TO HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH'
WOULD BE BETTER AVOIDED. I REALISE THAT EMOTIONS IN THE WEST ARE STILL, AND RIGHTLY, RUNNING VERY HIGH. BUT GIVEN THE LONG HAUL WE ARE GOING TO HAVE DEALING WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ON HONG KONG
BUSINESS, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER TWISTS IN THE GOVERNMENT LINE AND POLICY HERE WHICH COULD CATCH US WRONG-FOOTED, I HOPE THAT THE BRITISH VOICE WILL BE ON THE SIDE OF EXTREME ACCURACY AND
PRECISION IN PIN-POINTING THE CHARGES AND THE REASONS FOR OUR COUNTER-MEASURES. IN DUE COURSE, WE SHALL HAVE TO FIND THE RIGHT ARGUMENTS FOR REMOVING THE MEASURES IF EVER WE DECIDE THAT IT IS
IN OUR GENERAL AND IN HONG KONG'S INTEREST TO GO BACK TO BUSINESS
AS USUAL.
DONALD
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