CONFIDENTIAL
4. The importance of maintaining the support of public opinion in the coming months has led the Hong Kong Government to
encourage the Oriental Newspaper Group in its plans to start up a new English language daily. The new paper is due to be launched before the end of the year, with an English language
team poached from the SCMP. It is this project which Messers Ma
and Hui will be wanting to discuss with Mr Goodlad.
5. C K Ma's Oriental Press Group publishes Hong Kong's biggest selling daily, weekly and Sunday newspapers. The 'Oriental Daily' sells more than 600,000 copies each day with a readership
of close to a million. It has a circulation larger than the combined circulation of the next three best selling papers.
'Eastweek' magazine was launched last October and is now selling
about 140,000 copies each week. The group has kept free of
Chinese influence.
Personality Note
6.
C K Ma is the son of Ma Shek-chun who fled Hong Kong to
avoid arrest on drugs charges in 1975. He was accused of
operating a major heroin trafficking business. He is still living in Taiwan. There is no evidence to connect the son (who
was 12 years old at the time of his father's flight to Taiwan)
with the sins of the father.
Herman Hui is Ma's lawyer and Executive Director. He does most
of the talking for Ma.
k.
K. Saunders
KAM Saunders
Hong Kong Department
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CONFIDENTIAL