UNCLASSIFIED
015476
MDLIAN 5300
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3271
OF 03100OZ OCTOBER 89
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING
INFO ROUTINE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN FRANCISCO, HKGO BRUSSELS, HKGO GENEVA INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUNDUP
SUMMARY
1. THE YANG YANG CASE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE GOOD COVERAGE IN THE MEDIA. OTHER ITEMS REPORTED INCLUDED REMARKS ON HK IN FOREIGN SECRETARY JOHN MAJOR'S ADDRESS AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THE JLG TALKS AND THE FUTURE POLITICAL STRUCTURE AND THE BASIC LAW.
YANG YANG
2. THE MEDIA FOLLOWED CLOSELY DEVELOPMENTS OF THE CASE OF CHINESE SWIMMER YANG YANG. THE IMMIGRATION TRIBUNAL HAD TURNED DOWN YANG YANG'S APPEAL AGAINST HIS REMOVAL ORDER (29.7). HIS LAWYER HAD APPLIED FOR A JUDICIAL REVIEW AGAINST THE DECISION AND A WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS TO THE HIGH COURT, WHICH DECIDED A FULL HEARING WOULD BE HELD ON OCTOBER 16 AND 17, THE MEDIA (3.10) REPORTED.
3. SING TAO JIH PAO (27.9) QUOTED SOURCES IN LONDON AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CASE AND THAT IT HOPED THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT MAKE ANY MOVE AT THIS STAGE THAT WOULD AFFECT THE 13TH ROUND OF THE JLG TALKS.
4. THE MEDIA (27.9) ACCORDED PROMINENT COVERAGE TO A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NCNA HK BRANCH IN WHICH IT REVEALED THAT AN AGREEMENT OVER THE REPATRIATION OF OVERSTAYING TWO-WAY PERMIT HOLDERS WAS REACHED BETWEEN HK AND CHINA IN 1982. THE STATEMENT SAID THAT UNDER THE AGREEMENT, ALL SUCH OVERSTAYERS WOULD BE SENT BACK TO CHINA.
5. EDITORIALLY, WEN WEI PO (27.9) SAID IN A SHORT LEADER THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT SHOULD HANDLE THE CASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HK LAW. SING TAO WAN PAO (27.9) SUGGESTED THAT YANG YANG BE SENT TO A THIRD COUNTRY. MING PAO (28.9) SAID THAT THE NCNA STATEMENT HAD MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT HAD NO REASON FOR NOT REPATRIATING YANG YANG TO CHINA. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (28.9) URGED THE HK
1
PAGE
UNCLASSIFIED