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Howe's participation, there could be one or two meetings
with Chinese leaders. We would seek meetings with senior
people in the relevant Ministries (Justice, State
Security, Procurate-General etc), and with the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences who sent a human right s
study team here in February. We would also seek visits
to meetings with:- a court,
/
a prison, other parts of
the criminal justice system, lawyers, a church,
theological seminary, church leaders, Minority affairs
officials representatives of Minorities.
/
Subject to
further thought we might also arrange meetings with
detained dissidents' families or recently released
detainees; various considerations, including safety of
the individuals concerned, need careful thought.
Tibet
+
We have not SO far reached final conclusions about
the pros and cons of including Tibet. The Chinese are
now used to managing visits of this nature to Tibet which
carries its own risks (ie) that the delegation will be
seen to have been duped. To include Tibet would also
require at the least four days out of the itinerary,
probably longer. On balance therefore we are inclined to
go for a call on the Commission on National Minorities in
Peking, holding our for a visit to Tibet by a second
delegation later. Lord Howe has recently contacted us
after thinking this problem over. He considers that
Tibet is potentially the most difficult issue of all
given the high level of press and NGO interest in the
human rights situation there. He has not so far departed
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