TNAG-0121-FCO40-157-Kowloon-walled-city-and-adjoining-areas-1970 — Page 45

(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500м 2/69 Hw.

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry

No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted.

Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

DRAFT Letter

To:-

A. F. Maddocks, Esq., HONG KONG,

.In Confidence

Type 1 +

6

From

James Murray

Telephone No. & Ext.

Department

20

Kowloon Walled City and Adjoining Areas

Thank you for your letter of 1 October about the Hong Kong Government's/plans for the Walled City and

its environs.

We took the opportunity to discuss this

last week

mobjectionable

question with the Governor when he was in London/.

2.

develofnert

The plans outlined in the paper seem admirable.

We accept that the "Nunnery Site" Development Plan as

Cadverse envisaged in the paper carries only a small risk of Communist

hostile reaction from the Chinese Government.

М

We agree

that the proximity of the area to the walled city might

tempt the local Communists to stir up a campaign

against the project, but we accept your assessment

that such a campaign is unlikely to cause us any real

trouble or enjoy any substantial backing from the

Chinese Government.

3. There is one aspect of the paper which will

require careful consideration. This is the part

dealing with possible action against Communist schools

within the Walled City on the grounds of fire risk, (Paragraph 5(b)ii, 5(b)v and 5(e)iii of the paper).

ground 5

It is clear that in the context of improving conditions

in Hong Kong schools there is a good base for action

Undoubtedly of this kind, and that better fire precautions would'

in the interesta

would)

be te the benefit of the local inhabitants. On the

bring Logether

other hand, such action would ra two issues on

which the Chinese Government have proved themselves to

/be

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