TNAG-0028-FCO40-64-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 50

JOTE FOR COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY

VISITS TO PRISONERS

(Peking Telegram No. 133)

RE

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22FEB İyou

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In paragraph 2 of his telegram No. 1908 of 23 December, the

Governor of Hong Kong stated -

"No persons other than relations and friends shall be allowed

to visit prisoners except by special authority; visita may be made once a month, but extra visits could be approved. Although there is no rule to this effect there is a standing order that requests for an extra visit must originate with the prisoner.

This last requirement is for the protection of the prisoner.

In paragraph 3(B) of hia telegram No. 212 of 19 February the

Governor stated -

"Extra visits to individual prisoners can be approved for

reasonable cause at the prisoner's request. Again, anybody wanting to see a prisoner for any special reasons is, of course, free to ask to visit Me: if the reasons are compelling the visit can be allowed. again subject to the prisoner s agreement. A particularly relevant exemple is that an evolover is usually granted one visit to an employee."

Sir Donald Hopson is aggrieved that the kind of visit described in

this is the underlined passage above was not mentioned earlier;

because hitherto we have insisted with the Chinese that special or

"extra" visits can only be arranged at the request of the

prisoner and they have made an issue of this (see, for example,

paragraphs 2-3 of Peking telegram No. 1 of 1 January).

HA

The Department cannot say precisely why the Governor did not

mention this further category of visit at the outset.

comments on Paking Telegram No, 133 are awaited.

But we think

it possible that it did not occur to anybody to mention it

because this type of visit may have been associated with special (or, as the Governor says later, compelling) reasons connected

It is the sort with a prisoner's domestic or personal affairs.

of visit which would be authorised if some emergency situation

affecting the prisoner arose, say within his family or in connection with his employment, of which the prisoner could not

/be aware.