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FLASH HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (DTD)
Telno 1801
CONFIDENTIAL
1 December 1967
Addressed to Commonwealth Office telegram No. 1801 of
1 December.
Repeated for information to Singapore, Washington and Peking.
(212)
Your telegram No. 2447: Border Talks.
I agree that a short statement on the lines suggested would be desirable.
2. The following minor amendments would take account of the precise wordings used with the Chinese:-
(a) In relation to the arrests substitute "on British territory near the border" for "Man Kam To".
(b) For "re-location" read "re-alignment'.
(c) Delete "ex-gratia".
(d)
Substitute "contruction of military works" for "military
activities".
Paragraph 3:
For "providing that they behave in a normal orderly manner" read "abided by the laws of Hong Kong".
3. Amount finally fixed for payment for crops was 29.400 J.M.P. (approximately 73,100 HK dollars at new rate) and for Graves 1,680 J.M.P. (approximately 4,180 Hk dollars). We have refused to release same to Press here on grounds that it has not yet been released by Chinese.
4. We can see no reason for not telling the Press that there has been payment for Graves, which is genuine compensation, according to our usual procedures.
5. Telegram on general Press guidance follows. In fact, Communist attempt to play up the "understandings" as a defeat for us has not cut much ice here and general tone of Hong Kong non-Communist Press comment is favourable to "understandings".
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· 1 DEC1967
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