SECRET
Muinte
017563
MDLIAN 3815
SECRET
FM KUALA LUMPUR
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 138.
OF 230855Z MARCH 92
FOR HEWITT, SEAD
LORRAIN OSMAN/BANK BUMIPUTRA
Надимаила
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24
1. TAN SRI GHAZALI SHAFIE, FORMER MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HAS APPROACHED US TO SAY HE IS CONCERNED THAT OSMAN MIGHT SUBPOENA HIM IN CONNECTION WITH A MEETING HE HAD HAD WITH, HE THOUGHT, SIR D GILLMORE IN 1983, OR 1984, GHAZALI SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THAT A COPY OF THE TELEGRAM REPORTING THE MEETING IS IN OSMAN'S HANDS. GHAZALI SAID HE HAD NO RECORD OF THE MEETING AND WISHED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER HE COULD BE GIVEN A SIGHT OF THE HIGH COMMISSION'S REPORTING TELEGRAM SO AS TO ENSURE THAT, IF SUBPOENA'D, WHAT HE SAID WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE EVIDENCE OF OTHER WITNESSES.
2. WE NO LONGER HAVE COMPLETE FILES FOR 1983 AND 1984 HERE. HOWEVER, FROM THE PAPERS AVAILABLE TO US, IT APPEARS THAT THE MEETING TO WHICH GHAZALI REFERRED MAY BE THAT ON 15 AUGUST 1983 WITH THE THEN ACTING HIGH COMMISSIONER, PETER DAVIES, REPORTED IN OUR TELNO 310 OF 1983 (THOUGH IT SEEMS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT A SECRET TELEGRAM COULD HAVE FALLEN INTO OSMAN'S HANDS). FROM THIS IT APPEARS THAT GHAZALI VOICED DR MAHATHIR'S ANGER THAT THE HONG KONG POLICE WERE LIKELY TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST BUMIPUTRA MALAYSIA FINANCE (BMF): SUGGESTED THAT LIAISON BETWEEN THE HONG KONG AND THE MALAYSIAN POLICE SHOULD BE IMPROVED: AND EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE HONG KONG POLICE MIGHT LEAK DOCUMENTS TO THE PRESS. DAVIES DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE REPLIED SUBSTANTIVELY, THOUGH THE TELEGRAM GOES ON TO ASK FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REPLY AND SUGGESTS, INTER ALIA, THAT IF THE ENQUIRY INTO BMF COULD BE HALTED THIS WOULD BE TO THE GOOD OF ANGLO-MALAYSIAN RELATIONS.
3. GHAZALI DID NOT ASK FOR A RESPONSE WITHIN ANY PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME, BUT WE UNDERSTAND HE INTENDS TO TRAVEL TO LONDON IN APRIL. WHILE THERE WE UNDERSTAND HE MAY SEE SIR GEOFFREY HOWE AND LORD GLENARTHUR TO WHOM IT IS POSSIBLE HE MIGHT PUT A SIMILAR REQUEST, NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER IN GOVERNMENT. THERE WOULD THEREFORE BE SOME ADVANTAGE IN OUR GETTING BACK TO HIM THIS MONTH IF WE CAN.
COMMENT
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