CONFIDENTIAL
нке с12 13
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 946
OF 14180OZ MAY 91
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
Q DIST?
jur vür
024245
MDHOAN 3507
YOUR TELNO 1457 AND PEKING TELNO 688: PUBLIC ORDER ORDINANCE
(POO)
1. WE FULLY AGREE WITH THE POINTS IN PEKING TUR. IT IS LIKELY THAT THE CHINESE WILL HAVE STRONG OBJECTIONS TO THE PROPOSED CHANGES WHICH WILL TRIGGER THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT HONG KONG AS A
BASE FOR SUBVERSION.
2. WE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIMING ASPECT. IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR USUAL PRACTICE, THE PLANNED AMENDMENTS TO THE POO WILL BE MADE PUBLIC AFTER THE EXCO MEETING ON 21 MAY, IE 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE LIKELY ENACTMENT OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS. THE CHINESE ARE BOUND TO SEE THE TWO AS LINKED.
THE RESULT COULD
BE A MUCH STRONGER CHINESE REACTION TO THE BILL OF RIGHTS.
3. WE WOULD THEREFORE SEE SOME MERIT IN GETTING THE BILL OF RIGHTS OUT OF THE WAY FIRST AND RETURNING TO THE POO LATER. WE TAKE YOUR POINT ABOUT THE DISADVANTAGE OF WAITING UNTIL THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION, BUT WE WONDER HOW DIFFICULT THIS WOULD BE IN PRACTICE. WE ASSUME THAT YOU WOULD NONETHELESS BE ABLE TO GET YOUR POO AMENDMENTS THROUGH A NEW LEGCO: ANY LIBERAL INCLINATIONS WOULD NO DOUBT BE BALANCED BY THE STRONG PUBLIC WISH FOR LAW AND ORDER. IN ANY CASE, WE DO NOT SEE THIS ASPECT AS A GREAT ENOUGH PROBLEM TO JUSTIFY RUSHING THROUGH THE AMENDMENTS NOW, WITH THE MUCH GREATER DRAWBACK OF PROVOKING A HOSTILE CHINESE RESPONSE AT A PARTICULARLY CRUCIAL TIME.
4. ON THE TIMETABLE YOU PROPOSE, AS PEKING POINT OUT, YOUR POO AMENDMENTS WOULD ALSO BECOME PUBLIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AIRPORT TALKS IN PEKING. WE CANNOT HELP THINKING THAT THIS WOULD STRENGTHEN CHINESE DETERMINATION TO USE THE AIRPORT AS A LEVER
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CONFIDENTIAL
Redacted under FOI exemption 27(1)