71
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 682
OF 05103OZ MARCH 92
CONFIDENTIAL
HKA 233/1
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING
FOLLOWING FROM PS/LORD CAITHNESS (VISITING)
70
YOUR TELNO 403 HMOCS
142322
MDHIAN 5620
TOP COPY
Q DIST?
Pa
573
WE RECEIVED TUR SHORTLY BEFORE LORD CAITHNESS WAS DUE TO MEET THREE MEMBERS OF THE HMOCS ASSOCIATION. WE HAD EARLIER AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR AND UKREP JLG THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE RIGHT TO SAY ANYTHING TO THEM, EVEN ASSUMING WE HAD TREASURY AGREEMENT IN TIME, UNTIL WE HAD FOREWARNED THE CHINESE. IN SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION WITH THE MINISTER, MR GALSWORTHY SAID THAT HE THOUGH WE OUGHT TO GIVE THE CHINESE ABOUT TWO WEEKS NOTICE BEFORE ANY ANNOUNCEMENT.
2.
WHEN LORD CAITHNESS SAW THE ASSOCIATION (MESSRS MILLER, STRACHAN AND STEVENSON-HAMILTON), HE MERELY THANKED THEM FOR THEIR RESTRAINT AND PATIENCE. HE EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE MAKING PROGRESS AND HOPED TO BE ABLE TO SAY SOMETHING SOON. HE UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF THE END-JUNE DEADLINE AND THE DESIRABILITY OF SAYING SOMETHING BEFORE THE ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS ON 26 MARCH. BUT HE WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO SAY ANYTHING NOW.
3.
THE MAIN POINTS MADE BY MILLER WERE:
A)
B)
C)
THEY WERE ANXIOUS TO KEEP THIS ISSUE LOW-PROFILE. THERE WOULD BE ELECTIONS TO FORM THE COMMITTEE OF THE ASSOCIATION ON 26 MARCH. A HELPFUL STATEMENT BY HMG BEFORE THEN WOULD STRENGTHEN THE POSITION OF THE MODERATE CANDIDATES.
THEY RECOGNISED THAT THE POSITION IN HONG KONG WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES BUT THEY TOOK ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SUCCESSIVE BRITISH MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS THAT SOMETHING WOULD BE DONE FOR THEM. THEY HAD NOTED IN PARTICULAR THE FURTHER REASSURANCES GIVEN BY LORD CAITHNESS IN HIS LETTER TO MR TAYLOR, MP.
THEIR MAIN IMMEDIATE CONCERN WAS COMPENSATION AND THEY
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