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CASE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL KIDNAPPING BY THE ZHENGZHOU PUBLIC SECURITY BUREAU WHO HAD, WE UNDERSTOOD, AT ONE POINT TOLD CHONG'S FAMILY THAT THEIR FATHER COULD BE RELEASED WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED, ON PAYMENT OF US DOLLARS 400,000. CASES LIKE THIS COULD DO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO CHINA'S REPUTATION. IF OUR REASONABLE REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION CONTINUED TO FALL ON DEAF EARS, WE WOULD HAVE LITTLE OPTION BUT TO RECOMMEND TO MINISTERS THAT THE CASE BE RAISED AT A
MUCH HIGHER LEVEL.
4.
YANG MADE NO ATTEMPT TO ARGUE WITH ANY OF
OF THIS. HE UNDERTOOK TO PRESS AGAIN FOR INFORMATION ON CHONG'S CIRCUMSTANCES. HE ALSO SAID THAT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL IF PEKING COULD CONTINUE TO ASK
THE HKMAO FOR INFORMATION.
COMMENT.
5. WE MUST KEEP PRESSING ON THIS DISTURBING CASE. THE NCNA
SUGGESTION THAT PEKING REVERT TO THE HKMAO MAYBE AN ATTEMPT TO DEFLECT SOME OF THE PRESSURE FROM THEMSELVES. ON RECENT FORM, THE
HKMAO SEEM NO MORE LIKELY THAN THE NCNA TO BREAK THROUGH THE WALL OF SILENCE. BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF PEKING COULD HAVE ONE MORE GO
AT THEM.
7.
SUBJECT TO PEKING'S VIEWS, AND IF THE STONEWALLING CONTINUES, WE THINK IT WOULD BE WORTH RAISING THIS CASE AT A HIGHER LEVEL BEFORE LONG. ON BE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE FOR MR GOODLAD TO SPEAK TO AMBASSADOR MA. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHETHER HE WOULD BE WILLING TO DO THIS, AND/OR WHETHER OTHER SUITABLE CONTACTS AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL ARE SCHEDULED OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
SPEAKING NOTE.
CHONG KWEE SUNG.
WE HAVE APPEALED TO YOU ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHONG KWEE SUNG, A HONG KONG BUSINESSMAN WHO HAS BEEN DETAINED IN CHINA SINCE AUGUST 1991, FOR MOST OF THAT TIME IN ZHENGZHOU, HENAN PROVINCE: NEXT MONTH MARKS THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DETENTION. THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING HAS MADE SIMILAR REQUESTS TO THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CHKMAO). CHONG'S FAMILY HAS ALSO MADE DIRECT APPEALS TO THE PUBLIC SECURITY AUTHORITIES BOTH IN PEKING AND IN ZHENGZHOU, FOR EXPLANATION OF THE LEGAL BASIS OF HIS DETENTION AND FOR ACCESS TO HIM. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TWO YEARS OF HIS CAPTIVITY CHONG HAS NOT
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