TNAG-0798-FCO40-1002-Dispute-over-closure-of-Precious-Blood-Golden-Jubilee-Second-1978 — Page 19

EN CLAIR

PROCITY

ту

PM HONGAID 201400

UNCLASSIFIED

FCO PLEASE PASS TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY GOVERNOR, HI 35 OF 20 JULY

COPIED TO FCO FOR INFORMATION

AKK 280/1 RECEIVED IN RESISTRY NO. 51 2 1 JUL 1978

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

TOP

COPY

PRECIOUS BLOOD SCHOOL MEETING WITH MP'S

A GROUP OF MP'S MET THE TWO TEACHERS AND SUBSEQUENTLY ASKED

IF THEY COULD SEE THE GOVERNOR, THEY READILY WITHDREW THIS

REQUEST WHEN THEY REALISED THE GOVERNOR WAS IN SCOTLAND AND

ARRANGED INSTEAD TO SEE ME,

3,

FARRY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN CHARGE BUT WAS LATE,

JAMES JOHNSON TOOK THE CHAIR TO START WITH AND THE OTHER

MEMBERS PRESENT WERE JAMES LAMOND, MARTIN FLANNERY AND DENNIS CANAVAN. JOHNSON STARTED WITH A STATEMENT THAT SEVERAL MEMBERS HAD INTERVIEWED THE TWO TEACHERS, WERE MOST IMPRESSED WITH THEM AND THOUGHT THEY HAD BEEN TREATED SHABDILY. ? SAID THAT THE TRAIN OF EVENTS WAS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE COMMITTE OF EKJURY. THEY ACCEPTED THAT MY STATEMENT THAT THE CHAIRMAN WAS A MAN OF CONSIDERABLE STATURE AND THAT THE TERMS OF REFERENCE WILL EMBLE THE COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE ALL THE SURROUNDING FACTS. IT APPEARED TO ME THAT THEY BELIEVED THAT THE TEACHERS HAD BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE OF THE IR EXPOSURE OF THE FRAUD.

I SAID THAT WHILE

THE DETAILS OF EVENTS MIGHT STILL BE OBSCURE, THIS WAS

A PREPOSTEROUS ALLEGATION AND I FELT CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD

NOT BE SUBSTANTIATED.

AFTER SOME FURTHER DESULTORY

DISCUSSION, ALL PRESENT ACCEPTED THAT THE FACT THAT UNTIL THE

COMMITTEE REPORTED THERE WAS NO FURTHER ACTION ANY MEMBER

SHOULD TAKE. THEY DID AN HOWEVER THREATEN QUESTIONS ETC.

IF THE TEACHERS STORY WERE SUBSTANTIATED,

/4.. CANAVAN

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