CONFIDENTIAL
D
Our Embassy staff, who have been scouring the city this evening, have learnt from one of the police stations they have approached that the group were detained after behaving "in a manner incompatible with their status". Our Embassy staff have made it
clear to the Chinese authorities that they should provide full
information as soon as possible and that they should grant consular
access to Mr Parry and to the British journalist believed to have
been detained, Mr Miles. Our staff have asked for full
names,
details,
whereabouts etc but SO far have received no more
information. They are pursuing this on what i s the eve of a May Day holiday in China, which is exacerbating the situation. The Ambassador has sought to call himself on the Vice Minister at the
No reply has yet been received.
MFA.
4.
Earlier this morning a member of FED drew the press reports to the attention of the Chinese Embassy asking them to alert Peking to sort the matter out as quickly as possible..
5.
News Department issued the attached press line at the 12.30
News Conference today.
6.
Hong Kong Department are separately alerting Hong Kong. If
the Chinese are sensible they will put the group on the first available flight to Hong Kong on 1 May. But their arrival in Hong
Kong will pose its own problems.
7.
Comment: If the reports of their actions are correct, Mr Parry and his group have behaved in a deliberately provocative
manner. They will have known that both US Senator Pelosi and a
group of Canadian MPs who each on separate occasions attempted a
Similar stunt in Tiananmen, were detained and expelled by the
Chinese. Mr Parry's group were clearly looking for the same
treatment for publicity reasons.
Congress.
m
CONFIDENTIAL