TNAG-0033-FCO40-69-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 177

CYPHER/CAT A

PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1842

CONFIDENTIAL,

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPX

TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

31 AUGUST, 1968

HW

RECEIVED I ARCHIVES M

3 SEP1963

7946

14453/21

ADDRESSED CO TELEGRAM NUMBER 1942 OF 31 AUGUST REPEATED PEKING.

780

PEKING TELEGRAM NUMBER 767 TO FOREIGN OFFICE.

IT IS TRUE THAT THESE EARLY RELEASES OF CERTAIN SELECTED YOUNG CONFRONTATION PRISONERS WERE UNUSUAL, BUT NO USEFUL CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN FROM THEM VIS-A-VIS ADULT PRISONERS BECAUSE:- (1) THE BOARD OF REVIEW WHICH RECOMMENDED SLIGHTLY EARLIER RELEASE IN THESE CASES DID SO ONLY WHERE THE PRISONER HAD NO PREVIOUS CONVICTION, HAD BEHAVED WELL IN PRISON, WAS RETURNING TO A FAVOUR- ABLE ENVIRONMENT AND HAD REASONABLY GOOD PROSPECTS OF REHABILI- TATION AMONG THOSE RELEASED FROM STANLEY PRISON, THE ARGUMENTS FOR EARLIER RELEASE ARE REINFORCED BY THE DIFFICULTIES OF ACHIEVING COMPLETE SEGREGATION OF THESE YOUNG PRISONERS FROM ADULT CONFRON- TATION PRISONERS, AND INDEED OF SEPARATING HARD-CORE YOUNG PRISONERS

FROM THOSE LESS COMMITTED SEMICOLON

(2) NO PUBLICITY SURROUNDED THE EARLIER RELEASE OF THESE YOUNG PRISONERS SO THE QUESTION OF PUBLIC REACTION DID NOT ARISE SEMI-

COLON

(3) THESE YOUNG PRISONERS DID NOT HOLD ANY POSITIONS OF IMPORTANCE IN COMMUNIST CIRCLES AND HENCE ARE IN A SEPARATE CATEGORY SEMICOLON (4) THE RELEASE OF THESE YOUNG PRISONERS WAS IN FACT ADVANCED BY ONLY THREE TO SIX WEEKS, EXCEPT IN ONE CASE WHERE TWO MONTHS REMISSION WAS GRANTED.

LAST REF.

CONFIDENTIAL

786

/ 2.