TNAG-0813-FCO40-1018-Allegations-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 23

錫恩

(MRS.) E. ELLIOTT.

TEL. 8-422414

(3)

A.6.

Plen funk

f

55. Kung Lok Road, Kwun Tong,

KOWLOON.

OUR

REF:

YOUR

REF:

H.E. The Governor,

Sir Murray MacLehose, Government House, Upper Albert Road, Hong Kong.

Din J

A.

M

1st June, 1978.

Redacted under FOI exemption 40(2)

Thank you for your letter of 16th May, 1978, concerning the result of my visits to penal institutions. I cannot understand why my letter of 3rd May reached you only on the 8th; perhaps a check on the postmark would reveal whether the delay was due to members of my staff or the post office.

20

You ask me to give you the names of as many prisoners as possible who made allegations of "frame-ups". In the circumstances I am willing, in spite of contrary advice, to show these to you personally, if I may meet you alone, inasmuch as I trust that any confidentiality between us in this particular matter will be respected, and to show how greatly I appreciate your interest therein.

3.

I am sure, however, that you will understand that the information was given to both Mr. Sanguinetti and myself in strict confidence, in the absence of prison officials, and in most cases, after expressed undertakings given by us that any matter revealed by them would be kept in strict confidence.

4.

In the past I have never betrayed a confidence, as you may well have heard or remember, particularly when certain members of the Police Force tried to frame me in 1966, and I refused to reveal the names of my police informants concerning the previous knowledge I had had of the potential "frame-up". My refusal led me to be found "Guilty" of the so-called Commission of Enquiry, and "punished" by being sent to "The Bar of Public Opinion for Censure".

5. I have consulted Mr. Sanguinetti whether to accede to the terms of your request, and he is of the view that a disclosure of names would be a breach of confidentiality reposed in us; he points out that the privilege belongs to the informants and not to us. Further, he agrees with me that the present system and conditions are such that there is a probable risk of harrassment to any particular informer if his name is passed on to the police for investigation. I myself know from past experience that when investigations were carried out by persons such

and his like, informants or their families were threatened, intimidated or in some other way harrassed.

as

Cont./6.