CONFIDENTIAL
TOP CORY HAB 016
Q DIST?
158,
117632
MDHIAN 4978
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2597
OF 24103OZ AUGUST 90
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
OUR TELNO 2573 : VISIT OF ZHANG BAIFA : NCNA PROTEST
1.
UNFORTUNATELY, PARA 7 OF TUR TURNS OUT TO HAVE BEEN
OPTIMISTIC.
2. YANG YOUYONG OF NCNA DID INDEED CALL ON DPA ON 24 AUGUST TO COMPLAIN. HE SAID THAT ZHANG BAIFA AND OTHER OFFICIALS HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO HARASSMENT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DURING ZHANG'S VISIT TO HONG KONG. AT THE AIRPORT ON ZHANG'S ARRIVAL PEOPLE HAD SHOUTED CURSES AND PUSHED AND PULLED HIM AROUND. DURING THE EXHIBITION ON THE ASIAN GAMES CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON 20 AUGUST SOME TWO DOZEN PEOPLE BLOCKED ZHANG'S WAY AND TRIED TO STOP THOSE INVITED FROM ENTERING THE EXHIBITION. THEY ALSO KICKED AND HIT THE CARS OF NCNA AND THRUST PAMPHLETS IN THE CARS.
3. YANG SAID THAT THESE ACTS NOT ONLY DISTURBED THE NORMAL PROCEEDINGS BUT ALSO POSED A THREAT TO THE PERSONAL SAFETY OF CHINESE OFFICIALS. HE SAID THE ''FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE' OF THESE INCIDENTS WAS HKG'S ''ATTITUDE OF APPEASEMENT TOWARDS THESE RIOTERS AND ITS FAILURE TO TAKE THE NECESSARY MEASURES.'' THIS WAS NOT COMPATABLE WITH THE PREVAILING IMPROVED ATMOSPHERE IN THE SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. NCNA COULD NOT BUT EXPRESS DEEP REGRET
AND INDIGNATION.
4. IN RESPONSE DPA CLARIFIED THAT YANG WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT TWO, NOT SEVERAL, OCCASIONS. HE THEN REFERRED TO THE DETAILED POLICE REPORTS, WHICH DESCRIBE THE TWO INCIDENTS AND THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE DEMONSTRATORS IN MUCH LESS DRAMATIC TERMS. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THE POLICE WERE FOREWARNED AND HAD TAKEN PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. HE REMINDED YANG THAT WE HAD PERMITTED ZHANG BAIFA TO USE THE VIP FACILITIES ON HIS ARRIVAL WHICH WAS OUTSIDE NORMAL RULES: AND EXPLAINED WE UNDERSTOOD THERE HAD BEEN AN ADEQUATE POLICE PRESENCE OUTSIDE.
5. TURNING TO THE SECOND OCCASION, DPA SAID THE POLICE HAD DISCUSSED SECURITY MEASURES IN DETAIL WITH THE ORGANISERS OF THE
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