CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 109
OF 10113OZ JANUARY 89
AND TO PRIORITY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 243/s
оне и
Сь
147742
MDHIAN 7970
1
OUR TELNO 36 AND PEKING TELNO 17 TO FCO: ECVIIS
1. LI RUOHE (NCNA) CALLED ON DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER YESTERDAY (9 JANUARY). HE SAID THAT ''AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION'' THE
CHINESE AUTHORITIES FELT THAT THEY WISHED TO STICK TO THE AGREED
PROCEDURES FOR THE VERIFICATION AND RETURN TO CHINA OF ECVIIS.
2. DPA EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT. HE REITERATED OUR POINTS ABOUT
THE NEED FOR SWIFT REPATRIATION TO PREFENT FURTHER RUMOURS: AND
THE IRRELEVANCE OF VERIFICATION PROCEDURES WHEN ALL THE RECENT ARRIVALS ADMITTED THEMSELVES TO BE ECVIIS AND WHEN INDEED SOME HAD
COME HERE FOR THE SECOND OR THIRD TIME. HE REFERRED TO GROWING LOCAL DISCONTENT, MOST RECENTLY OVER THE REQUISITIONING OF A FORMER POLICE STATION IN HUNG HOM FOR THE TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION OF ECVIIS. THE LONGER WE HAD TO ACCOMMODATE THEM, THE MORE UNHAPPY THE LOCAL RESIDENTS WOULD BECOME.
3. DPA ASKED THAT THE CHINESE RECONSIDER THEIR POSITION, BUT SAID THAT IF THIS WERE NOT POSSIBLE THEN WE HOPED THAT THE VERIFICATION
AND REPATRIATION PROCEDURE WOULD BE CARRIED OUT AS SWIFTLY AS
POSSIBLE.
COMMENT
4. THIS IS DISAPPOINTING BUT NOT WHOLLY UNEXPECTED. WE BELIVE WE
MUST NOW ENERGETICALLY PURSUE THE OPTION OF PROCESSING THE RECENT
ARRIVALS AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE. GIVEN THE LARGE NUMBERS OF RECENT ARRIVALS WHO HAVE COME FROM GUANGXI, WE THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH PROPOSING TO THE CHINESE THAT A TEAM FROM HONG KONG VISIT NANNING
TO DISCUSS REPATIRATION WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS. AT THE LEAST THIS
SUGGESTION MAY STIR THE CHINESE INTO SWIFTER ACTION. GIVEN WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUCTIONS ISSUING FROM PEKING, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF PEKING COULD ACT IN PARALLEL, ASKING THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES TO AUTHORISE GUANGXI TO RECEIVE A DELEGATION FROM
HONG KONG.
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