RESTRICTED
HKC. 02012.
9
131636
MDLIAN 4577
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 531
OF 020811Z APRIL 93
99
M
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
нимао Abuisers
HONG KONG AFFAIRS ADVISERS: NCNA PROTEST ON AIRPORT DEMONSTRATION
SUMMARY
1. NCNA COMPLAIN ABOUT STUDENTS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS. WE REJECT THIS COMPLAIN SAYING NCNA HAVE NO STANDING AS THE INCIDENT WAS AN INTERNAL MATTER ONLY INVOLVING HK RESIDENTS.
DETAIL
2. NCNA (LI HEXIE AND LU CHANGSHENG) CALLED ON DPA THIS MORNING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A DEMONSTRATION AT THE AIRPORT YESTERDAY BY QUOTE TROUBLEMAKERS UNQUOTE (IN FACT MOSTLY CUHK STUDENTS, AND ONLY 19 OF THEM) WHO WAVED BANNERS AND SHOUTED SLOGANS CRITICISING THE HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS IN THE DEPARTURE HALL OF KAI TAK AIRPORT AS THEY LEFT FOR PEKING.
2. WHEN LI BEGAN TO REPEAT HIMSELF A BIT, DPA INTERRUPTED TO SAY HE DID NOT QUITE UNDERSTAND THE POINT BEING MADE. WAS LI TALKING ABOUT MEMBERS OF THE NCNA? WHEN LI SAID HE WAS NOT, DPA POINTED OUT THAT THE HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS WERE ALL HK RESIDENTS. THE PROTESTERS WERE ALSO HK PEOPLE. THE PROTEST TOOK PLACE IN HK, AND WAS CONTROLLED BY HK POLICE. HK WAS ADMINISTERED BY THE BRITISH. HE THEREFORE DID NOT SEE WHAT STANDING NCNA HAD TO MAKE FORMAL REPRESENTATIONS ON THE MATTER. THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE REPRESENTATIONS IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS SORT WHEN MEMBERS OF THE NCNA ITSELF OR VISITORS FROM THE MAINLAND HAD BEEN INVOLVED. WE ALWAYS LISTENED TO SUCH REPRESENTATIONS. HOWEVER, THIS CASE WAS QUITE DIFFERENT. IT WAS AN INTERNAL MATTER. THE MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC ORDER WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HK POLICE, A RESPONSIBILITY WHICH THEY ALWAYS CARRIED OUT EXTREMELY WELL,
INCLUDING IN THIS CASE.
3. A LIVELY EXCHANGE ENSUED, WHICH BECAME INCREASINGLY HEATED ON LI'S PART. HE REPEATED (SEVERAL TIMES) THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE ESPECIALLY INVITED BY CHINA AND WERE LEAVING FOR PEKING IN THEIR CAPACITY AS HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS. DPA SAID THIS WAS IRRELEVANT. HE ASKED LI IF HE CONSIDERED THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING WOULD
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