TNAG-0846-FCO40-1056-Visits-of-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 42

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5 November 1979

Dear Mike, min 611u

In my letter to you of 10 September I said that Mr Marten planned to be in New Zealand for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Annual Conference from 13 November to 2 December.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary has also agreed that Mr Marten should pay official visits to Bangkok and Hong Kong on his way back from New Zealand to look at the work of the British Development Division in Bangkok and to call on the Thai Foreign Ministry and the Acting Governor in Hong Kong. He will also take the opportunity to visit the refugee camps in both countries. These stopovers will require at most three days over and above his planned absence for the CPA Conference. Mr Marten will not be taking

either a Private Secretary or officials with him, but he will be accompanied by Mrs Marten.

Mr Marten will be paying for the return economy air fares (or equivalent) to New Zealand and back for both himself and Mrs Marten. As he will be visiting Hong Kong and Bangkok. on official business, Mr Marten will travel first class on the return leg from New Zealand to London. The Overseas Development Administration will make up the difference in fare (£529), but without the approval of the Prime Minister cannot do the same for Mrs Marten. Before it was decided that Mr Marten should return through Hong Kong and Bangkok both were intending to travel back together. As Mr Marten will be looking at Save the Children Fund (SCF) work in Thailand he considers it would also be useful to have Mrs Marten there as she is a member of the SCF Council. It would also not be sensible for them to return separately.

I should be grateful if you would seek the Prime Minister's agreement to the extension of Mr Marten's visit to New Zealand to include Bangkok and Hong Kong and to the supplementation from official funds of Mrs Marten's return air fare from New Zealand to London (for which Mr Marten has paid personally) to enable her to travel back first class with the Minister.

I am copying this letter to Murdo MacLean (Government Whip's Office) and to Barry Hilton (Cabinet Office).

Yours sincerely, Ray Kringle

:

(R E Pringle) Private Secretary

Mike Pattison Esq 10 Downing Street

LONDON