Ref: ADM 284/1
22 December 1992
المئة لين
M Man!! Mis Bands Jones fi.
лоз
s/i
6/1.
Ma.
Mr Rod Bunten
HKD
FCO
London
HKD 406/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
1993
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Takem
223
British
Trade Commission
Hong Kong
9th Floor, Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong
Mail Address: GPO Box No 528, Hong Kong
E
Telephone: 523 0176
Telex: HX 73031 (a/b 73031 UKTRA HX) Facsimile: (852) 845 2870 Cable Address: UK TRADE, Hong Kong
Dear Rod
ZB
CLOSURE OF THE MOD CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL.
I thought you might like to see the enclosed press cuttings.
The first one, about the closure of the MOD CLS, is remarkable for its number of inaccuracies. The writer spoke to both Chris Osbourne and me, but this was done around ten days before the article appeared. Two points in this article which I should like to clear up are:
i) The short Cantonese courses for new arrivals are
not taught by MOD CLS, but rather by 75 Army Education Corps. These courses will continue. Though priority is given to military staff who want to attend, FCO staff can join when there are spare places.
ii) We did not say that "Cantonese is also taught to
FCO staff in London before they fly out to BTC in Hong Kong". I told the writer that an increasing number of staff here take private Cantonese lessons, and that I expected we would be
re-examining our Cantonese tuition nearer to 1997.
I have included the other press cuttings to illustrate how firmly Cantonese remains the language of Guangdong. Cantonese is likely to be even more tenacious in Hong Kong.
With the closure of the MOD CLS, we have lost our local reference point for Chinese Language tuition, and are dependent on the few private teachers we already know.
Yours
Rosie
R ME Fowler (Ms)
Language Officer
CC John
hoove,
DSLC FLO
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individuals mentioned,