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ADVANCE COPY
SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 273
OF 291143Z JANUARY 92
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
044546
MDADAN 6364 They are thugs
ли
Mr, box
Misbra
Secret
OUR TELNO 216: INCURSION INTO HONG KONG WATERS BY TWO HAINAN
CLASS FRIGATES
1. YANG YOUYONG OF NCNA CALLED ON THE POLITICAL ADVISER ON 29
really was a one-off for Day, less rese
was
•Worry
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JANUARY TO REPLY TO OUR REPRESENTATIONS ON THE INCURSION OF 22 Ait
JANUARY. HE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTE:
il
it was
QUOTE ON THE AFTERNOON OF 22 JANUARY TWO CHINESE NAVY VESSELS gratuitous
WERE STATIONED NORTH OF THE CENTRE LINE OF DEEP BAY. THEY DID NOT ENTER HONG WATERS NOR DID THEY MAKE ANY DELIBERATE MOVE AGAINST A
HONG KONG POLICE LAUNCH. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO OBSERVE THE RULES OF
THE GAME PENDING VERIFICATION OF THE FACTS. OTHERWISE THIS WILL
NOT HELP SOLVE PROBLEMS. UNQUOTE.
2. EHRMAN SAID THAT HE WAS VERY SURPRISED AT THIS STATEMENT. HE AGAIN SHOWED YANG THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND ASKED HOW THE TWO NAVY
VESSELS COULD HAVE BEEN IN THE POSITION HE CLAIMED GIVEN THE
APPEARANCE OF NIM WAN IN THE NEAR BACKGROUND IN SOME OF THEM AND
THE APPEARANCE OF CASTLE PEAK POWER STATION IN THE BACKGROUND IN
OTHERS. HE COMMENTED THAT IF THE LAST PART OF YANG'S STATEMENT
HAD BEEN A REFERENCE TO AN ARTICLE WHICH APPEARED IN THE SUNDAY
POST OF 26 JANUARY, HE HAD ALREADY POINTED OUT IN THE ANNUAL
BORDER LIAISON REVIEW MEETING THAT THE AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE HAD
CLEARLY STATED THAT HE HAD OBTAINED THE FACTS FROM THE POLICE
RADIO, AND THAT THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS NOT ONE OF THOSE WE HAD TAKEN.
3. YANG MERELY REPEATED THE STATEMENT ABOUT THE POSITION OF THE
TWO NAVAL VESSELS. EHRMAN SAID HE REMAINED ASTONISHED BY THIS. HE WOULD OF COURSE REPORT THE CHINESE STATEMENT, BUT GAVE NO
INDICATION THAT WE WOULD LET THE MATTER REST THERE.
4. WE HAVE FURTHER EXAMINED THE PHOTOGRAPHS (EARLIER SENT BY BAG
TO YOU AND PEKING) TO SEE IF WE COULD EXTRACT MORE PROOF OF THE
SHIP'S POSITION FROM THEM, BUT THERE IS NOTHING TECHNICAL WE CAN DO TO ENHANCE THEIR VALUE. AS IT IS, THEY SHOW VERY CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE HONG KONG LANDMARKS, AND IT IS OBVIOUS FROM THESE
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