CONFIDENTIAL
117632 MDHIAN 4978
ASIAN GAMES EXHIBITION. IT WAS THE ORGANISERS WHO HAD SAID THAT THEY DID NOT WISH THERE TO BE A HIGH LEVEL OF SECURITY AND WANTED THE POLICE TO TAKE A SOFT APPROACH WITH DEMONSTRATORS. THE POLICE HAD RE-CONFIRMED ON THE MORNING OF THE CEREMONY THAT THIS WAS THE WISH OF THE ORGANISERS. HE COULD NOT AGREE WITH THE STATEMENT THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS OUR APPEASEMENT OF A HANDFUL OF RIOTERS. IN THE FIRST PLACE THESE WERE NOT RIOTERS AND FURTHERMORE THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF ''APPEASMENT''. DEMONSTRATIONS WERE A PART OF LIFE IN HONG KONG. THE JOB OF THE POLICE WAS TO ENSURE THEY DID NOT THREATEN PUBLIC ORDER. IN THIS CASE HE COULD NOT ACCEPT THAT THE POLICE HAD FAILED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES.
6. YANG SAID HE WAS SORRY TO HEAR THIS RESPONSE. THE ACCOUNT GIVEN IN THE REPORTS WAS NOT ACCURATE. HE REPEATED THAT THE DEMONSTRATORS WERE INDEED RIOTERS. HE HAD BEEN THERE AND OBSERVED THEM HIMSELF. THE POLICE HAD SUFFICIENT POWERS UNDER THE PUBLIC ORDER ORDINANCE TO DEAL WITH THEM BUT THEY HAD NOT DONE ENOUGH.
7. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT YANG WAS HIMSELF AN EYE WITNESS, DPA SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE MATTER UP AGAIN WITH THE POLICE AND SEEK A FURTHER REPORT. HE WOULD REVERT IF THIS PRODUCED ANYTHING NEW. FINALLY HE REITERATED THAT IT WAS NOT HKG'S WISH TO SEE PRC OFFICIALS DISCOMFITTED IN ANYWAY, BUT POINTED OUT THAT SUCH THINGS COULD, AND DID HAPPEN EVEN TO THE GOVERNOR.
8. YANG THEN RAISED THE ''SHOOTING INCIDENT'' THE CHINESE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE POLICE WERE NOT TAKING THIS QUESTION SERIOUSLY. THEY EXPECTED AN EARLY RESPONSE. DPA REPLIED THAT THE POLICE ENQUIRIES WERE CONTINUING, IN PARTICULAR ALONG TWO LINES : FIRSTLY, TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHETHER A LICENSED WEAPON WAS THE SOURCE OF THE SHOOTING AND, SECONDLY, INVESTIGATING REPORTS THAT AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE UNITED STATES HAD CLAIMED THAT HE WAS THE MAN WHO HAD FIRED INTO THE WINDOW. HE COULD NOT BE SURE WHEN A FINAL REPORT WOULD BE READY BUT REAFFIRMED THAT HKG REGARDED THE INCIDENT AS A SERIOUS MATTER AND THAT RHKP WOULD CONTINUE TO PURSUE THE INVESTIGATION. HE ASKED IF THE CHINESE HAD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION THAT MIGHT ASSIST THE POLICE. YANG SAID THEY HAD NOT.
COMMENT
9. A FAIRLY SERIOUS GRUMBLE CONSIDERING THE MINOR SCALE OF THE INCIDENTS. WE WILL CONSIDER WITH THE POLICE WHETHER MORE STRINGENT MEASURES MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE ON FUTURE OCCASIONS: THOUGH IT SEEMS SOME AT LEAST ON THE CHINESE SIDE (E.G. THE
PAGE
2
CONFIDENTIAL