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Cypher/Cat A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (DTD)
Telno 1501
SECRET
7 October, 1967
Addressed to Commonwealth Office telegram No. 1501 of 7 October
Repeated for information to: Peking
Peking telegram No. 109 and your telegram No. 2047.
Release of prisoners in Hong Kong.
I have not yet seen Bolland's letter of 25 September, but as I note that Lord Shephered wishes to discuss the matter here, it may be useful for me to make some initial comments at this stage.
2. I should very much like to do something to help the Mission in Peking, and you will recall that I mentioned the possibility of considering something of this kind at some suitable juncture when I was in London. I must say how- ever that in the light of circumstances here it does seem rather too early at present to contemplate any substantial
The local Communist Press on 'gesture' to the Chinese.
5 October, allegedly as a response to our 'persecution of compatriots' on 1 October, renewed the five demands in a rather different form, and called on the 'Anti-Persecution Struggle Committees' to 'take action' and 'seek revenge' At the same time there was a renewal of bomb incidents. The Nationalist celebrations on 10 October could easily
Occasional incidents be the occasion of further trouble. on the border continue. For us to make major concessions to the Communists now might well be interpreted as a sign of weakness not only by our supporters in Hong Kong but by the militants in Peking.
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3. I have however been considering what we might do in due course if the situation becomes and stays quiet for some little while after 10 October. There are legal complications. An 'amnesty' would be legally possible here in the case of convicted prisoners by virtue of the Royal Prerogative of Pardon which could be used to remit the whole or any part of any sentence imposed on individual prisoners. The obvious objection to this is that it is in a sense interfering with the rule of law (and the decision
If of the courts) for short-term political advantage. the prerogative is exercised in respect of even one convicte prisoner, we lay ourselves open to pressure for exercising it in respect of all other prisoners in whom the Communists
If anything may be interested, now and in the future.
of the sort were to be contemplated in the long run the
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