RESTRICTED
HKA 010/1
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 13
OF 021114Z JANUARY 92
и
81
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
In Stone
146236
MDLIAN 4679
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
q
CHANGE OF GOVERNOR: PRESS COVERAGE AND COMMENTS
SUMMARY
1. THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I WILL RETIRE AS GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
BEFORE THE END OF 1992, AND WAS AWARDED A LIFE PEERAGE IN THE NEW YEARS HONOURS LIST, WERE REPORTED PROMINENTLY IN THE HONG KONG PRESS ON 31 DECEMBER. SUBSEQUENT REPORTS FOCUSED ON A TELEVISION INTERVIEW I GAVE THAT DAY: ON REACTIONS FROM PROMINENT PEOPLE IN
HONG KONG: AND ON SPECULATION ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE NEXT
GOVERNOR.
DETAIL
2.
PRESS REPORTS ON 31 DECEMBER WERE GENERALLY FACTUAL AND PICKED
UP THE NO 10 BRIEFING OF 30 DECEMBER. THEY CONCENTRATED ON THE
FACT THAT I WOULD HAVE SERVED AS GOVERNOR FOR FIVE YEARS IN APRIL
1992: THAT IT HAD NEVER BEEN THE INTENTION THAT I SHOULD SERVE
UNTIL 1997: AND THAT A DATE HAD NOT BEEN FIXED FOR MY DEPARTURE.
A STATEMENT BY ME, RELEASED HERE AT 0800 LOCAL TIME ON 31 DECEMBER, WAS CARRIED BY RADIO STATIONS THAT MORNING AND SUBSEQUENTLY PICKED UP BY TELEVISION AND THE PRESS. A COPY HAS
BEEN FAXED TO YOU. LATER IN THE DAY I GAVE A TELEVISION INTERVIEW (ALSO FAXED TO YOU), WHICH RECEIVED WIDE COVERAGE IN THE NEWSPAPERS ON 1 JANUARY. MANY PAPERS CARRIED A TRANSCRIPT OF THE
INTERVIEW. REPORTS GENERALLY FOCUSED ON MY STATEMENT THAT THE DECISION WAS ONE FOR THE PRIME MINISTER AND THAT, IF THERE WAS TO BE ANOTHER GOVERNOR BEFORE 1997, IT MADE SENSE THAT THE PERSON TOOK UP THE JOB IN SUFFICIENT TIME TO BECOME FULLY FAMILIAR WITH
IT.
3. THERE HAS BEEN MUCH SPECULATION ABOUT POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR
THE NEXT GOVERNOR, LARGELY BASED ON REPORTS IN THE UK PRESS. RTHK
QUOTED A FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN AS REFUSING TO SPECULATE ON WHETHER THE NEXT GOVERNOR WOULD BE A DIPLOMAT OR A POLITICIAN,
BUT RULING OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A HONG KONG PERSON BEING
APPOINTED. GEORGE FOULKES WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT A LABOUR GOVERNMENT WOULD APPOINT A LOCAL.
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