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HAD 026/13
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FM FCO
TO PRIORITY PEKING
TELNO 865
OF 07170OZ AUGUST 91
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
56
163452
MDLOAN 9905
on our visit file
NA 8/8
HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT: HUMAN RIGHTS
1. IT HAS BEEN MADE CLEAR BOTH IN PARLIAMENT AND IN ADVANCED PRESS BRIEFINGS, THAT HUMAN RIGHTS ARE TO FIGURE DURING THE PRIME MINISTER'S DISCUSSIONS IN PEKING. IT WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO RAISE THE QUESTION, AT LEAST WITH LI PENG, AND TO BE ABLE TO SAY AFTERWARDS THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAS DONE SO. INEVITABLY ANY EXCHANGE AT THIS LEVEL WILL TEND TO BE IN GENERAL TERMS. BUT THERE IS CLEARLY A RISK OF CRITICISM IF ALL WE CAN SAY AFTERWARDS IS THAT THE PRIME MINISTER RAISED THE QUESTION IN THIS WAY, BUT WITHOUT VISIBLE EFFECT. BELOW ARE SOME PRELIMINARY IDEAS ON WAYS IN WHICH REPRESENTATIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS MIGHT BE GIVEN A SLIGHTLY SHARPER FOCUS, AND ON POSSIBLE PROPOSALS FOR FURTHER ACTION.
ACT OF CLEMENCY
2. IT WOULD BE WELCOME IF THE CHINESE COULD BE PERSUADED IN
ADVANCE TO MAKE SOME GENUINE GESTURE OVER HUMAN RIGHTS SHORTLY BEFORE, OR DURING, THE VISIT. ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE AN ACT OF CLEMENCY TOWARDS SOME OF THOSE DETAINED. THE STRONGEST CANDIDATES MIGHT BE THE HONG KONG RESIDENTS DETAINED IN CHINA (YOUR TELNO 1233), OR SOME OF THE MORE PROMINENT DISSIDENTS NOW REPORTED TO BE IN BAD HEALTH (EG WANG JUNTAO). THERE ARE CLEARLY SENSITIVITIES HERE FOR THE CHINESE AND WE CANNOT RECALL A DIRECT PARALLEL OF RELEASES DURING A VISIT. BUT OTHER GESTURES EG EARLIER RELEASES OF DETAINEES, RELEASE OF FANG LIZHI, HAVE BEEN TIMED TO INFLUENCE WESTERN (AND PARTICULARLY US) OPINION. YOU MAY THINK IT WORTHWHILE TO HAVE A PRIVATE WORD WITH EG JIANG ENZHU INDICATING HOW MUCH A MOVE OF THIS SORT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE ATMOSPHERE, AND PERCEIVED SUCCESS, OF THE VISIT.
HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION
3. SOME HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HERE CONTINUE TO FAVOUR THIS OPTION AND IT IS A ROUTE THAT OTHERS (EG AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, SWITZERLAND) FIND USEFUL. WE ARE NOT, HOWEVER, ATTRACTED BY THIS APPROACH. THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS IS NOT ENCOURAGING. PRESS REPORTS ON
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