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17
Ry
Ente
FA 241/1
A E Donald Esq Political Adviser
HONG KONG
Ден Двам
CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Mu. David
London SW1A 2AH
31 August 1977
I
This is the frit I have Deen If the idea of cloking dover the Kampuchean Trade
Misky in I.K. I Hunk AKS,
алака will oppone it on free hade,
HUMAN RIGHTS: DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA
1. You may know that the Secretary of State recently called goeds. for an assessment of actions which we might take to demonstrate our abhorrence of the performance of countries in the "bottom band" as the result of our recent human rights' exercise.
विधि 19
2. It will not surprise you to learn that one of the countries which needed to be considered was Democratic Kampuchea. In the departmental submission, it was noted that one step that we might take, at minimal financial cost to the UK, would be to impose trade sanctions. This would involve closing down the Cambodian trade representation in Hong Kong; but we put down a marker to the effect that we should need to seek the views of the Hong Kong Government before acting, and to bear in mind also the possibility of an adverse reaction from the Chinese. Dr Owen has now directed that we should act as proposed in the submission. We are therefore required to seek Hong Kong views (and those of HM Embassy, Peking, to whom I am copying this letter) about the likely consequences if we were to terminate the Cambodian presence.
3. From Drace-Francis' letter (SCR 10/64 V) of 3 February to Goldsmith, I note that you are broadly content with the present position, but would not welcome any enlargement of the existing Cambodian team. I note also from Hong Kong telegram No 12 to Peking that on 16 February you saw no sign of Chinese support for attempts to expand the Cambodians' presence.
4. Could you and Fenn in Peking let us know whether you would see disadvantage for Hong Kong or to the attitude of Hong Kong ? citizens towards their constitutional and political links
with the UK if we were to seek to have the Cambodian trade representation closed, and whether relations with the Communist Chinese might be adversely affected by such a move?
was,
Your
Yay
cc: N M Fenn Esq, PEKING
HKGD
FED
UND
FAC 021/1
A M Simons South-East Asian
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 240/2
Department RY.10.
1 SEP 1988
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