A
B
CONFIDENTIAL
37
ALDAAP
HKB 026/
12 MAY 1989
u fost,
Рай, нив
M
we have discurred,
things have moved on.
telegraphed
•Seant a Hong
(HE WON'T
Go]
I have
to
Kong.
Robert
обель Сон
PS/Lord/Glenarthur
From:
A R Paul
Date:
CC:
Hong Kong Department
12 May 1989
Private Secretary
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
(PS/hord Onarthur)
1615
PROPOSED STOPOVER OF LORD GLENARTHUR IN HONG KONG
1.
Miss Mason
Mr. Footman 1815 Mr War 18
کہ
Enters. Works
You asked for comments on the Governor's telno 1533 in
response to your telno 989.
2.
17/5
I am sure that we should be guided by the Governor's advice.
Option (A) would have the advantage of enabling Lord Glenarthur to
see Dame Lydia Dunn and Allen Lee, as well as the Governor. Yet it
would clearly be seen in Hong Kong as a stopover and people will be
less inclined to argue that the Minister should have spent longer in the territory. As the Governor points out, Option (B) would be
more likely to be open to the risk of the criticism that Lord Glenarthur should have spent longer in Hong Kong.
3.
A further consideration is the press aspect. Option (A) would still give the Minister the opportunity to put clearly on record the things which HMG are doing to help Hong Kong over the boat people problem (indeed, his very presence in Hong Kong would help to underline that). On the other hand, a fully blown press conference, which might be difficult to resist under Option (B), would expose him to a great deal of hostile questioning at a time
when our position for the ICIR (eg on resettlement), or for that
matter on nationality and passports, had not been finally
determined.
ARPanc
A R Paul
CONFIDENTIAL