TNAG-0820-FCO40-1027-Narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 304

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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

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RECORD OF MEETING BETWEEN THE SECRETARY FбSTATE BOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS AND THE RT HON MRO BARBARA THE FCO AT 12.45 HOURS ON TUESDAY

Present:

PA

PRELIVAMP AT

Action Teen

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CLE

The Rt Hon Dr D Owen MP Mr Duncan

Mr Wall

The Rt Hon Mrs Barbara Castle MP Mr Hallmark

T

MISS RITA NIGHTINGALE

1.

Mrs Castle invited Mr Hallmark to put his views about the case. Mr Hallmark expressed his concern about the release in Bangkok of Miss Nightingale's two Hong Kong Chinese associates and the failure of the Thai authorities to seek their extradition in order that they

should appear at her trial. This had led him to think that there should be further investigation at the Hong Kong end to discover more about the two men (Chan and Yip): He could not believe that

nothing was known about Chan prior to the tip-off being sent by the Hong Kong customs authorities to Bangkok.

2. Dr Owen said that he had asked the Governor of Hong Kong to

send him the relevant documents and he had studied them. Some of

the papers had to remain confidential because they referred to persons suspected of drug trafficking who were currently under investigation but, exceptionally, he could show Mrs Castle and Mr Hallmark some of the papers. These covered

i) the questioning of Chan at Kai Tak airport ii) the discovery that he was travelling with Rita iii) tip-off telegrams sent to the Thai and French customs iv) the attempt, following his arrest in Bangkok to find

evidence in Hong Kong to enable the Bangkok police to

continue to hold him.

These documents showed that there was nothing improper in the action taken by the Hong Kong authorities. There was also nothing in the papers to suggest that Rita Nightingale knew that she was acting as a courier although at her trial she denied having previously known or even spoken to Chan.

3.

Dr Owen said, incidentally, that he did not know why everyone called her a nurse when she had merely been a telephone operator in Darwin hospital. Mrs Castle blamed the media for promoting this

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