CONFIDENTIAL
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Ar Cortazzi
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
HONG KONG GRANADA TV PROGRAMLE "WORLD IN ACTION"
1.
The Granada TV series "World in Action" broadcast pro ras on anild labour in liong Kong on 13 December. lt was entitled "Lude in liong Kong" und concentrated, seasonably enough, on the to industry. The department has delayed submitting on this Lutter until first reactions to the prorume were available.
j.tu of the iro, Timo
2.
The general consensus among the members of the department who watched the film was that while it set out to be highly critical of Hong Kong alleged toleration of illegal chil: labour by the Goverment, inadequate fines imposed by the courts for child labour offences, failure to enforce safety measures and to pay proper compensation for industrial injuries etc - it was not as damaging as advance information about the programme had suggested. In a number of instances the film lacked credibility. Thus, for example, pictures of employees arriving for work et a
factory ware taken at long-range since, the viewer was to, the Cameramen were not allowed near because of "tight security". The faces of some of those interviewed were blacked out berhuse
idantification could have led to "fear of reprisals". It wa
asserted that calorus had to be concealed in fuctories in orer
to out in pictures of children, that children at work were daen
in pluces where they would not be found by visiting labour inspectors, and tit rming systems were installed in stories
to give notice of impending visits by inspectors. None o• Jese
sortions were sustantiated. In fact, the progra... proced
little evidence of child labour in industrial establishments:
More were two scales only of children at work in factorie 3.
it was not stated thut the children in question were below the
JCB 02 14, the legal limit for employment in industrial
establishments. On the other hand, there were a mumber of oictures
e
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