TNAG-0109-FCO40-145-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1968 — Page 94

CYPHER/CAT'A'

PRICRITY HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

DATED 14 NOVEMBER 1968

RECEIVED IN

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GRAM NUMBER 2176

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ARCHIVES No.31

1 5 NOV 1968

HWA 1/12

COPY

ADDRESSED FCO AS MY TELEGRAM NO. 2176 OF 14TH NOVEMBER RFI PEKING.

MY TELEGRAM NO. 2164: GREY AND PRISON VISITS.

THIRD MEETING WITH N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES TOOK PLACE TODAY.

POLITICAL ADVISER REPEATED THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT THE TWO NEW

POINTS RAISED BY N.C.N.A. CGROUP VISITS AND PRESENTING THE THOUGHTS

OF MAO). N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES RAPIDLY GAVE UP THESE TWO POINTS,

BUT SAYING THAT THEY THOUGHT OUR ATTITUDE UNREASONABLE AND RESERVED

THE RIGHT TO RAISE THE TWO POINTS AT SOME FUTURE DATE.

2. IT WAS THEN AGREED THAT VISITS TO THE CONVICTED NEWSWORKERS

WOULD TAKE PLACE AS IN APRIL LAST. 12 VISITORS FROM N.C.N.A. AND

COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS WILL VISIT THE 11 REMAINING PRISONERS IN STANLEY

ON MONDAY, 18TH NOVEMBER AND THE TWO FEMALE PRISONERS AT LAI CHI KOK

ON TUESDAY, 19TH NOVEMBER.

3. N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES THÈN TRIED TO GET POLITICAL ADVISER TO

AGREE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PRISONERS WOULD BE VISITED FOR MORE THAN

20 MINUTES. POLITICAL ADVISER REFUSED TO AGREE TO ANY SUCH SPECIFIC

UNDERTAKING. HE SAID THAT AS IN APRIL THE NORMAL MAXIMUM LENGTH OF

VISIT WOULD BE 20 MINUTES BUT, WHERE NECESSARY, THE PRISON AUTHOR-

ITIES WOULD ALLOW THE INTERVIEW TO CONTINUE FOR SOME MINUTES BEYOND

THAT LIMIT. THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE APRIL PRECEDENT WOULD BE

FOLLOWED WAS ACCEPTED BY N.C.N.A,

WHEN

LART

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