CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 16140OZ FCO TELNO 3451
OF 161015Z OCTOBER 89
AND TO PRIORITY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
Reg
ON file to me
pls.
25
057010
MDADAN 9915
Mr Stone
[HKD 306
ADVANCE COPY
COPYLag
agrec
with this
YOUR TELNO 2087: BBC WORLD SERVICE RELAY IN HONG KONG
اسد
16/10
WE AGREE WITH YOUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT THAT GIVEN THE PROPOSED LOW-KEY APPROACH TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 24-HOUR RELAY, IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE NOT TO GO AHEAD WITH A PHONE IN WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
2. OF THE TWO ALTERNATIVES, AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK BRAYNE WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE. HOWEVER, WE WOULD SUGGEST THAT THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANY SPECIAL PROGRAMME TO QUOTE CELEBRATE UNQUOTE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE EXTENDED SERVICE.
3. IN OUR TELNO 3272 OF 6 SEPTEMBER 1988 WE PROPOSED THAT THE 24-
HOUR BROADCASTS WOULD BE INTRODUCED ON A TRIAL BASIS AND WOULD BE PRESENTED SIMPLY AS AN EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING COVERAGE OF THE WORLD SERVICE BY RTHK. THIS IS IN KEEPING WITH THE VIEWS CONTAINED IN OUR TELNO 3071 OF 17.8.88. WE SUGGESTED THEN THAT THE BEST PROSPECTS FOR RETAINING THE WORLD SERVICE AFTER 1997 WOULD BE IF THE BBC HAD BEEN BROADCASTING SUCCESSFULLY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS PRIOR TO THAT.
4. YOU WILL ALSO RECALL THAT WHEN THE THEN SASI WAS QUESTIONED BY REPORTERS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A 24-HOUR WORLD SERVICE RELAY AFTER HIS RETURN FROM A VISIT TO LONDON IN MAY 1988, TWO SPECULATIVE AND UNHELPFUL ARTICLES APPEARED IN THE PRESS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE BBC IN HONG KONG AND THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS COUR TELNO 89 or 22.6.88). WE WOULD WISH TO AVOID THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN IF POSSIBLE.
5. IN LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, WE CONSIDERED THAT THE BEST APPROACH TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 24-HOUR RELAY WOULD BE TO KEEP IT LOW-PROFILE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE AND NOT DRAW ANY UNNECESSARY ATTENTION TO IT WHICH MIGHT CAUSE THE ISSUE TO BECOME A MATTER OF PUBLIC SPECULAT- ION AND PROMPT A NEGATIVE REACTION FROM THE CHINESE. THIS IS STILL OUR THINKING, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE PRESENT STATE OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
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