CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 231130Z FCO
TELNO 870
OF 23103OZ MARCH 92
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD OIS/
Spoke to FED quarry
they
com
19
015600
MDADAN 2541
ADVANCE this forth Mr Marris.
COPY
Cmply to
гв
PS No 10.
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG, PEKING
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YOUR TELNO 530 NOT TO PEKING: CALL ON PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE BY
MR STEPHEN NG AND MR LAU SAN-CHING.
1. YOU MAY WISH TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUND ON THE POINTS IN PARA 2 OF TUR.
2. WHEN LAU SAN-CHING WAS DETAINED IN DECEMBER 1981 HE WAS NOT A BRITISH NATIONAL: HE WAS TRAVELLING ON A CERTIFICATE OF IDENTITY. WE THEREFORE HAD NO BASIS FOR TAKING CONSULAR ACTION ON HIS BEHALF. NEVERTHELESS WE RAISED HIS CASE WITH THE CHINESE IN HONG KONG ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS IN 1982, AND IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. WE STRESSED THE CONCERN OF HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN HONG KONG, AND SOUGHT INFORMATION ON WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HIM. PEKING ALSO RAISED THE CASE WITH THE MFA, WHO REPLIED IN AUGUST 1982 THAT LAU WAS A CITIZEN OF THE PRC WHO RETURNED TO CHINA TRAVELLING ON A
'COMPATRIOT'S CERTIFICATE', AND THAT HE HAD BEEN DETAINED FOR ''UNLAWFUL DEEDS''.
3. DESPITE RAISING THE CASE IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS, WE NEVER GOT MORE THAN THIS FROM THE CHINESE. IT WAS ONLY INDIRECTLY THAT WE LEARNED LAU HAD BEEN TRIED ON 7 FEBRUARY 1983: THAT HE HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF HARBOURING COUNTER-REVOLUNTIONARY AIMS AND COLLABORATING WITH COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS, CARRYING OUT COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY PROPAGANDA AND AGITATION, RESISTING AND VIOLATING LAWS AND REGULATIONS AND ATTEMPTING TO OVERTHROW THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT AND THE SOCIALIST SYSTEM' AND THAT HE HAD BEEN SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IMPRISONMENT AND
DEPRIVATION OF POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR THREE YEARS.
4. WE DID NOT SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVE FURTHER REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE FROM LAU'S FAMILY: ALTHOUGH A SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN IN 1986/87 REVIVED PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE CASE. BUT WE STILL GOT NO JOY FROM THE CHINESE. AS YOU ARE AWARE FROM OUR TELNO 860 OF 20 MARCH 1991, WE SUGGESTED THAT LAU'S NAME SHOULD BE INCLUDED AMONG THE LIST OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS DETAINED IN CHINA FOR SECRETARY OF STATE TO RAISE DURING HIS VISIT LAST YEAR. AND THE CASE WAS
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