RESTRICTED
HKA 010/1
140541
MDHIAN 1945
66
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 1165
OF 2909OOZ APRIL 92
TOP COPY QDIST?
fa
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO LONDON
APPOINTMENT OF NEXT GOVERNOR: APRIL)
MEDIA COVERAGE AND LOCAL REACTION (29
SUMMARY
MEDIA COVERAGE OF ISSUES RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT GOVERNOR BECAME LESS PROMINENT ON 29 APRIL. FOCUS WAS ON THE GOVERNOR'S ACTIVITIES IN LONDON. PRESS COMMENTARY ON THE APPOINTMENT
CONTINUED TO BE GENERALLY FAVOURABLE.
DETAIL
2.
REPORTS ON THIS SUBJECT WERE NO LONGER GIVEN PROMINENT TREATMENT IN TODAY'S PAPERS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST CARRIED A LOW-KEY STORY ON PAGE SIX. IT WAS THE SECOND STORY ON PAGE TWO IN THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS.
3.
TODAY'S PAPERS FOCUSED ON THE GOVERNOR'S MEETING WITH THE PRIME
MINISTER IN LONDON YESTERDAY AND HIS TALKS WITH MR PATTEN ON MONDAY.
THE GOVERNOR TOLD REPORTERS THAT THE PRIME MINISTER SHOWED TREMENDOUS INTEREST IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS AND SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ADMINISTER
HONG KONG EFFECTIVELY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO FACILITATE A SMOOTH TRANSFER. THE GOVERNOR SAID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS.
4.
THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PAPERS SAID THE GOVERNOR DISCUSSED GENERAL ISSUES WITH MR PATTEN ON MONDAY AND THEY WOULD GO INTO DETAILED QUESTIONS OF POLICY LATER IN THE WEEK. THE GOVERNOR WAS REPORTED TO HAVE TOLD MR PATTEN THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN GOOD RELATIONS
BETWEEN CHINA AND HONG KONG.
REACTION
5. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH COMMERCIAL RADIO, A FORMER FCO MINISTER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG FRANCIS MAUDE SAID THE APPOINTMENT
OF AN EXPERIENCED POLITICIAN WOULD ENABLE THE LAST GOVERNOR TO DEAL