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024301 MDHIAN 3860
8. I SAID I COULD NOT ACCEPT THAT THE REMARKS MADE BY SIR D FORD
IT WAS TRUE THAT AND THE GOVERNOR HAD BEEN IRRESPONSIBLE.
THESE
HAN DONGFANG WAS NOT A HONG KONG RESIDENT, AND HIS CASE THEREFORE DID NOT HAVE DIRECT/DIRECT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE. BUT IT WAS A FACT, AS THE CHINESE SIDE KNEW, THAT THE WAY IN WHICH THE CASE HAD BEEN HANDLED BY THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD AROUSED WIDESPREAD CONCERN IN HONG KONG . CONCERNS HAD BEEN EXPRESSED BY PEOPLE PARTICULARLY FRIENDLY TO
WHICH THEY CHINA AS WELL AS BY OTHERS. IN SPEAKING AS THEY DID, HAD DONE IN RESPONSE TO PERSISTENT PRESS QUESTIONING, BOTH THE ACTING GOVERNOR AND THE GOVERNOR HAD SIMPLY BEEN EXPRESSING THE CONCERNS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.
9. I REPEATED THAT NEITHER THE BRITISH NOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD SOUGHT INVOLVEMENT IN THE MATTER. I RECOGNISED THAT IT WAS A SENSITIVE ISSUE FOR CHINA, BUT I SUGGESTED THAT THE WAY IT HAD BEEN HANDLED SO FAR HAD NOT BEEN WELL-ADVISED. I HOPED THAT IT WOULD STILL BE POSSIBLE TO FIND A SENSIBLE SOLUTION WHICH WOULD PUT AN END TO THE AFFAIR AND SET AT REST THE CONCERNS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.
10.
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IN REPLY, ZHAO SAID HE WOULD REITERATE TWO POINTS:
THE HANDLING OF THE HAN DONGFANG AFFAIR BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW WAS ENTIRELY AN INTERNAL AFFAIR OF CHINA.
THE HANDLING OF THE HAN DONGFANG AFFAIR AND THE FREEDOM OF ENTRY AND EXIT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE TWO DIFFERENT MATTERS.
IN
11.
I HAD REFERRED TO CONCERNS AMONG HONG KONG PEOPLE, BUT THE FACT WAS THAT AFTER THE HAN DONGFANG INCIDENT, OFFICIALS HAD MADE IRRESPONSIBLE REMARKS WHICH HAD MISLED THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. HIS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER RETURNING TO HONG KONG THE GOVERNOR HAD TALKED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE AFFAIR AND HAD DIRECTED VARIOUS ACCUSATIONS AT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. THIS DID NOT ACCORD WITH WHAT I HAD SAID ABOUT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WANTING TO HANDLE THE INCIDENT QUIETLY. ZHAO ALSO WANTED TO DRAW THE BRITISH SIDE'S ATTENTION TO A STATEMENT BY THE CHINESE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY ON 27 AUGUST THAT HAN DONGFANG'S ENTRY INTO CHINA WAS A DELIBERATE POLITICAL ACTION MANIPULATED BY AN ORGANISATION IN HONG KONG AND DIRECTED AT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
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