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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 579
OF 140955Z APRIL 93
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HICC 38111
QUY
vind
APR 1993
GISTA
PA
Jason Tal
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
2
ايم
155673 MDHIAN 7052
PEKING TELNO 518: PSB MINISTER'S COMMENTS ON TRIADS.
1.
ALTHOUGH WHAT TAO SIJU ACTUALLY SAID ABOUT TRIADS IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE WAS NOT AS BAD AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, IT WAS BADLY RECEIVED HERE. THE PERCEPTION IS THAT AT BEST TAO IS IGNORANT OF THE TRUE NATURE OF MODERN TRIADS: AND AT WORST THAT HIS DEPARTMENT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM IS GETTING FAR TOO COSY FOR HONG KONG'S COMFORT. NEWSPAPERS HERE REPORTED THAT A DELEGATION FROM THE SUN YEE ON TRIAD VISITED PEKING SHORTLY BEFORE TAO'S STATEMENT AND SAW SENIOR PSB OFFICIALS.
2.
THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE DISTURBING FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG THAN THE THOUGHT OF LAW AND ORDER BEING COMPROMISED AFTER 1997 BECAUSE THE TRIADS HAVE SENIOR CHINESE PUBLIC SECURITY OFFICERS IN THEIR POCKET. THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, WHEN HE MEETS TAO DURING HIS CURRENT VISIT TO PEKING, INTENDS TO RAISE HIS CONCERN AT THE EFFECT OF SUCH STATEMENTS ON THE MORALE OF THE HONG KONG POLICE, WHO DEVOTE ENORMOUS EFFORT AND RESOURCES TO COMBATTING TRIADS.
3. UNLESS YOU SEE OBJECTION, WE SHOULD LIKE TO RAISE THIS WITH NCNA. GIVEN TAO'S STATUS AS A MINISTER, WE WOULD PHRASE ANY APPROACH CAREFULLY, STRESSING THE CONCERN RAISED IN HONG KONG BY AN PERCEPTION THAT THE PSB WERE SOFT ON TRIADS. WE WOULD ASK FOR CLARIFICATION OF WHAT TAO MEANT. AS TUR RECALLS, LAST TIME HE DID THIS HE SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED A PUBLIC CLARIFICATION. THAT MAY NOT BE WORTH MUCH. BUT WE DO NOT THINK WE CAN JUST LET THIS PASS.
GRATEFUL FOR ANY VIEWS.
4.
FORD
YYYY
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