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056514
MDHIAN 6142
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1487
OF 02075OZ JUNE 92
HKC 012!!!
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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG
OUR TELNO. 1483: DEMOCRACY, THE BASIC LAW AND COMMENTS BY MR. GOODLAD: PRESS REACTION.
SUMMARY
1. THE CAMPAIGN IN THE LEFT WING PRESS TO REFUTE MR. GOODLAD'S REMARKS ON THE POSSIBILITY OF AMENDING THE BASIC LAW BEFORE 1997 HAS BEEN SUSTAINED OVER THE WEEKEND. THE MAINSTREAM PRESS HAS ALSO MAINTAINED ITS INTEREST IN THE ISSUE, WITH COMMENTARIES AND EDITORIALS WARNING ABOUT THE DANGERS FOR HONG KONG OF A DETERIORATION IN SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS.
DETAIL
2. THE CAMPAIGN TO CHALLENGE MR. GOODLAD'S REMARKS ABOUT AMENDING THE BASIC LAW HAS CONTINUED IN THE LEFT WING PRESS. THE GENERAL THEME IS THAT THERE CAN BE NO QUESTION OF AMENDING THE BASIC LAW BEFORE 1997. THERE HAS BEEN NO SHORTAGE OF PRO-CHINA SPOKESMAN TO REINFORCE THIS MESSAGE. PHILIP WONG (A LEGCO MEMBER), SIMON LI CAN EX JUDGE AND NOW A HONG KONG AFFAIRS ADVISER) AND TSANG YUK- SHING (OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HONG KONG) HAVE JOINED THE CHORUS OF CRITICS. IN ADDITION THE VICE DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA OFFICE IN HONG KONG, ZHENG GUOXING, A CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN AND GUO FENGMIN, THE LEADER OF THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE JLG, HAVE ALL BEEN QUOTED IN THE LEFT WING PRESS AS ASSERTING THAT THE BASIC LAW WILL NOT BE CHANGED BEFORE 1997, NOR WILL CHINA NEGOTIATE WITH HMG ABOUT INCREASING THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN THE 1995 LEGCO.
3. IN COMMENTARIES, TA KUNG PO, WEN WEI PO AND THE COMMERCIAL DAILY HAVE ARGUED THAT MR. GOODLAD HAD A POLITICAL MOTIVE IN MAKING HIS REMARKS. WEN WEI PO CLAIMED THAT QUOTE THE BRITISH ARE RAISING THIS IMPOSSIBLE ISSUE, AND MANIPULATING MARTIN LEE, IN ORDER TO DIVERT ATTENTION AWAY FROM COST OVERRUNS AND FAVOURITISM TOWARDS BRITISH CONSORTIA ON THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, UNQUOTE. THE AUTHOR WENT ON TO ARGUE THAT QUOTE THE BRITISH ARE TRYING TO PLACE OBSTACLES IN THE PATH OF CONVERGENCE AND THEY ARE USING
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