RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
нка 380/2
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2115
OF 140632Z AUGUST 92
RESTRICTED
p.a. pls
Crime
(optiva 6)
14/8
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY JSIS HONG KONG
PEKING TELNO 1155:
SUMMARY
1.
FUTURE
SECRON
SHENZHEN RIOTS: HONG KONG COMMENT
12
124765
MDLIAN 5348
HEAVY HANDED TREATMENT OF HONG KONG PRESS. REACTIONS IN HONG
KONG.
DETAIL
2.
IT IS ENCOURAGING TO HEAR THAT THE MAINLAND PRESS HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY OPEN ABOUT THE DISTURBANCES IN SHENZHEN. BUT THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES DID NOT/NOT WELCOME INTEREST FROM THE HONG KONG PRESS. WE KNOW OF ELEVEN HONG KONG REPORTERS WHO WERE TURNED
BACK AT THE BORDER ON 11 AUGUST. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTS OF OTHERS BEING PREVENTED FROM REPORTING, HAVING FILM CONFISCATED AND IN ONE CASE BEING DETAINED.
3.
THE CHAOTIC SCENES IN SHENZHEN DREW BLANKET COVERAGE HERE
OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. PRO-CHINA FIGURES HAVE FOCUSED ON THE
NEED TO REVIEW REGULATIONS AND ROOT OUT CORRUPTION. CHENG YIU- TONG CA HONG KONG AFFAIRS ADVISER) WAS REPORTED ON 12 AUGUST AS
ASKING THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION AND PUNISH THOSE INVOLVED. LIU YIU-CHU (ANOTHER ADVISER) SAID APPLICATION PROCEDURES NEEDED TO BE TRANSPARENT TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE THEY WERE FAIR. CPPCC DELEGATE XU ZEMIN SAID OFFICIALS HANDLING THE MATTER SHOULD STEP DOWN. WEN WEI PO (12 AUGUST) URGED THE SHENZHEN AUTHORITIES TO COME UP WITH A BETTER WAY OF ISSUING SHARES AND (11 AUGUST) TO DRAW ON HONG KONG'S
STOCK MARKET EXPERIENCE.
4.
INDEPENDENT PAPERS ALSO CRITICISED APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND
VOICED FEARS ABOUT CORRUPTION. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (12 AUGUST) SAID THAT IF NOT STAMPED OUT, CORRUPTION COULD THREATEN REFORM AND THE OPEN DOOR POLICY. BUT THEIR MAIN FOCUS WAS ON THE HANDLING OF THE HONG KONG PRESS BY SHENZHEN OFFICIALS. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, DAISY LEE, CALLED THE BAN ON HONG KONG JOURNALISTS ''RIDICULOUS''. THE HONG
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