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031706
MDHIAN 0524
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 24113OZ F C O
TELNO 216
OF 24100OZ JANUARY 92
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
BY COPY Q DIST 3
OUR TELNO 206: INCURSION INTO HONG KONG WATERS BY TWO HAINAN
CLASS FRIGATES
1.
THE POLITICAL ADVISER CALLED IN NCNA ON 24 JANUARY. EHRMAN INFORMED YANG YOUYONG (CHEN RONGCHUN IS AWAY) OF THE FACTS AS WE HAVE THEM. HE HANDED OVER FIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF FRIGATE 729 (NONE WERE TAKEN OF 728). TWO SHOW NIM WAN NEARBY IN THE BACKGROUND. TWO SHOW CASTLE PEAK IN THE BACKGROUND. ONE SHOWS SHEKOU IN THE DISTANT BACKGROUND. EHRMAN SAID THAT BOAT 729 AND 728 HAD ENTERED WELL INSIDE HONG KONG WATERS. IT WAS A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE CONCERN TO US THAT 728 HAD TRAINED ITS GUN ON A HONG KONG POLICE LAUNCH WHICH DID NOTHING PROVOCATIVE AND WAS OPERATING IN ITS NORMAL PATROL AREA AT ALL TIMES. HE SAID THAT WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES COULD URGENTLY INVESTIGATE THIS INCIDENT AND INFORM US OF THE RESULTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
2. YANG YOUYONG, WHO WAS CLEARLY SURPRISED AT THE VESSELS WHICH HAD BEEN INVOLVED, SAID THAT THE FIGHT AGAINST SMUGGLING WAS A COMMON TASK OF THE TWO SIDES. WE HAD BUILT UP GOOD CO-OPERATION ON THIS AND NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IT. HE UNDERTOOK TO REPORT AND TO TRANSMIT THE PHOTOGRAPHS. HE SAID THAT IT WAS ALWAYS BEST TO DISCUSS INCIDENTS PRIVATELY AND NOT TO LEAK THE DETAILS TO THE PRESS. HE HOPED THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN. IT WAS NEVER HELPFUL.
3. EHRMAN SAID THAT WE DID NOT LEAK DETAILS TO THE PRESS BUT, AS THE GOVERNOR HAD MENTIONED TO LU PING, MANY JOURNALISTS MONITORED POLICE COMMUNICATIONS. IN FACT WE HAD ONLY NOTICED ONE ARTICLE SO FAR, BY THE ORIENTAL DAILY, WHICH STATED THAT THERE WAS A REPORT OF AN INCURSION IN DEEP BAY ON 22 JANUARY BUT THAT WHEN THE MARINE POLICE WENT TO THE SCENE THEY FOUND NOTHING THERE.
4. EHRMAN SAID THAT BOTH SIDES WERE INDEED COMMITTED TO COMBAT SMUGGLING. BUT HE ASKED YANG WHETHER IT WAS LIKELY THAT TWO SHIPS OF THIS SIZE WOULD BE USED FOR SUCH PURPOSES. YANG BECAME
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