XN000022-1989-06-16 — Page 21

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FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1989

SIMON COLE (ITN): WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE ABOUT NATIONALITY IN GREAT BRITAIN?

GOVERNOR:

SIMON COLE :

OF HONG KONG THIS SEEMS TO BE THE BIG ISSUE. WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE HERE?

THE MESSAGE I GAVE WAS A MESSAGE TO BRITAIN AND THAT RIGHT OF MESSAGE WAS THAT IF BRITAIN WOULD GIVE A

SORTS IN ENTRY TO BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS OF ALL HONG KONG, A RIGHT OF ENTRY TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, THAT THAT WOULD DO AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF GOOD IN HONG KONG. AND MY SECOND MESSAGE AND I REPEAT THIS

WAS DONE, WAS THAT IF THAT MESSAGE TO BRITAIN - THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD ACTUALLY WISH TO GO THE LARGE WOULD BE VERY SMALL AND NOTHING LIKE NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN THROWN AROUND IN BRITAIN

SO THOSE THE DISCUSSION OF THIS ISSUE. MESSAGES TO BRITAIN.

WERE

IN TWO

THOSE PARTICULAR THE MESSAGE TO HONG KONG IS THAT

AND POINTS WERE PUT ACROSS VERY CLEARLY IN BRITAIN

THE TWO SENIOR ARE

TO BE PUT ACROSS. CONTINUING

MR MEMBERS OF OUR TWO COUNCILS, DAME LYDIA DUNN AND ALLEN LEE, WILL BE GOING TO LONDON AT THE OF NEXT WEEK TO REINFORCE THAT MESSAGE. GLAD THAT THEY'RE DOING IT.

BEGINNING I'M VERY

ARE YOU ENCOURAGED BY WHAT YOU HEARD IN LONDON ABOUT THIS ISSUE?

GOVERNOR:

PAUL HARRINGTON: {HONG KONG

STANDARD):

GOVERNOR:

THAT

FOR

I CAN'T SAY I'M ENCOURAGED AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THE AND FROM INITIAL ANSWER THAT I GOT FROM MINISTERS THE PRIME MINISTER WAS THAT WHAT I WAS SEEKING WAS, IN THEIR

VERY DIFFICULT VIEW, POLITICALLY INDEED

OF THEY WOULD CONCEIVE

FLEXIBILITY SOMETHING WITHIN THE EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS BUT NOT GOING SO FAR AS I'D ASKED FOR. BUT I THINK THIS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR. I SEE DAME LYDIA AND MR LEE'S VISIT AS PART OF PROCESS.

IS

AND

THAT

BRITISH A QUARTER IF IT DOES STAGE WILL

SOME RECENT REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARED TO TAKE, PERHAPS OF A MILLION PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG. BECOME A QUESTION OF NUMBERS, AT WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DECIDE THAT IT HAS GOT

OUT MUCH AS IT IS GOING TO GET GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF NUMBERS?

OF THE

BRITISH

I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT PARTICULAR REPORT. ARGUING FOR AT THE MOMENT IS SOMETHING COVERING OF THE BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS IN HONG KONG.

IF

FOR THE MOMENT THAT TURNS OUT TO BE WHAT I SAID TO THE

WHAT WE ARE

ALL

NOW

IMPOSSIBLE,

WAS

FOR

THE

FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE THAT AS AN INTERIM MEASURE I WOULD LOOK MAXIMUM OF GENEROSITY AND THE MAXIMUM OF FLEXIBILITY IN WHATEVER BRITAIN WAS DOING.

/PAUL HARRINGTON: