RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO TELELETTER HONG KONG
TELELETTER NFR
OF 03172OZ
APRIL 89
RESTRICTED
HKD 301/1
54
112337
MDTTAN 6010
A
#89
业
pc
4
FROM:
AR PAUL, HONG KONG DEPARTMENT
FOLLOWING FOR SIR D WILSON, HONG KONG
HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH MEDIA
1.
I PASS ON FOR WHAT THEY ARE WORTH TWO SUGGESTIONS WHICH HAVE EMERGED RECENTLY FROM OUR VARIOUS CONTACTS WITH BRITISH
JOURNALISTS OVER HONG KONG:
(A) HELLA PICK (GUARDIAN) SUGGESTED TO ROBIN MCLAREN THAT THE DIPLOMATIC AND COMMONWEALTH WRITERS' ASSOCIATION MIGHT PROVIDE A GOOD PLATFORM FOR YOU TO GET ACROSS YOUR MESSAGE ABOUT HONG KONG'S FUTURE. WE THINK THAT THIS MAY BE WORTH CONSIDERING. DCWA IS A WORTHY ORGANISATION WHICH NORMALLY ATTRACTS 30/40
SERIOUS JOURNALISTS TO ITS GATHERINGS.
THE
(B) PETER JENKINS (INDEPENDENT) SUGGESTED TO DAVID GILLMORE THAT HE AND HIS FELLOW JOURNALISTS MIGHT WELL BE ATTRACTED TO THE IDEA OF AN INVITATION TO A SEMINAR IN HONG KONG (INVOLVING ACADEMICS
AND OFFICIALS AS WELL AS MEDIA PEOPLE) AS ONE DAY IN A PROGRAMME OF (SAY) THREE DAYS, WHICH WOULD ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO SEE SOMETHING OF HONG KONG AND TO MEET AND TALK TO LEADING OPINION FORMERS. THIS MIGHT BE FOLLOWED UP WITH SOME FORM OF DEBRIEFING SEMINAR IN LONDON A WEEK OR SO LATER. HE THOUGHT SOMETHING ON THESE LINES WOULD BE MORE APPETISING TO KEY JOURNALISTS THAN SINGLE INVITATIONS ONE BY ONE. THERE ARE SOME OBVIOUS DISADVANTAGES IN A SEMINAR OF THIS KIND. A VISIT OF LEADING EDITORS IN A BUNCH WOULD BE BOUND TO ATTRACT CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN HONG KONG. THERE WOULD BE A DANGER THAT ALL THE MAIN LOBBYISTS WOULD USE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET ACROSS THEIR PARTICULAR LINE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT COULD BE A MEANS OF CONVEYING TO INFLUENTIAL SECTIONS OF THE BRITISH PRESS A POWERFUL AND POSITIVE MESSAGE ABOUT HONG KONG.
2. MAY I LEAVE YOU TO PONDER THESE IDEAS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK?
SIGNED AR PAUL
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