CONFIDENTIAL
HILD 26/13
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TOP COPY Q DIST?
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MDHIAN 3657
Ripa 4/5
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1280
OF 121125Z MAY 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, BTC HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD.
23
YOUR TELNO 768: VISIT BY MR. GOODLAD.
1.
FROM GOVERNOR.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS IN TUR. WE HAVE TAKEN ACCOUNT OF
THEM IN THE REVISED DRAFT PROGRAMME IN MIFT.
2.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS ON THE POINTS YOU RAISED ARE AS FOLLOWS:
(A) IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND TIME FOR A DECENT WALK DURING THE WEEK, WITHOUT DROPPING SOMETHING IMPORTANT. THE BEST BET MIGHT BE FOR MR. GOODLAD TO TAKE AN EARLIER FLIGHT (CX250) ARRIVING IN HONG KONG AT 1450 ON 24 MAY). WE COULD THEN GO FOR A WALK IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THAT AFTERNOON. ALTERNATIVELY, HE IS MOST WELCOME TO MAKE USE OF MY TENNIS COURT AND SWIMMING POOL
DURING ANY FREE TIME.
(B) INSTEAD OF VISITING ONE OF THE VICTIMS OF A VIOLENT CRIME, I SUGGEST A VISIT TO THE SCENE OF A RECENT CRIME, TOGETHER WITH A BRIEFING BY THE POLICE. THIS WOULD SERVE THE DUAL PURPOSE OF THE MINISTER BEING SEEN TO BE TAKING AN INTEREST IN THE PROBLEM OF LAW AND ORDER, AND HELPING TO BOOST POLICE MORAL. WE HAVE FITTED IN A HALF HOUR VISIT ON THE MONDAY AFTERNOON.
(C) THE VISIT TO TAI PO DISTRICT HAS BEEN SHORTENED TO ONE HOUR. IT WILL INCLUDE: A ROOF-TOP BRIEFING ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
DISTRICT: A VISIT TO A SCHOOL AND A TEA RECEPTION WITH DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS AND LOCAL DIGNITARIES.
(D) WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MR. GOODLAD'S REQUEST TO VISIT AN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT. THE MOST RECENTLY COMPLETED MAJOR TRANSPORT PROJECT IS THE TATE CAIRNS TUNNEL, BUT THIS HAS BEEN OPEN ALMOST A YEAR. OTHERS AT PRESENT UNDER CONSTRUCTION, SUCH AS THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD, ARE NOT NEWSWORTHY LOCALLY. GRATEFUL FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE MINISTER HAS IN MIND. BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO ADD ANOTHER
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