IMAL
STATION JUST ACROSS THE BORDER IN CHINA: THE CHOICE OF PLANT LIES
BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDON AND FRANCE: THE ULTIMATE DECISION AS TO WHICH TO BUY WILL BE A DIFFICULT CHOICE IN WHICH THE ATTITUDE OF THE HONG KONG COMPANY IS BOUND TO PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT PART. FURTHERMORE, IT SHOUL NOT BE FORGOTTEN THAT MANY CHINESE IN HONG
KONG HAVE RELATIVES AND CLOSE FRIENDS IN IMPORTANT POSITIONS WITHIN CHINA.
EFFECT OF CAA DECISION ON PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG.
THE AMOUNT OF PROTEST AT THE CAA'S FAILURE TO LICENCE CATHAY (AFTER ATLA HAD LICENSED BOTH CATHAY AND BCAL) AND ITS SPREAD WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, SURPRISED US, AND WAS UNPRECEDENTED IN HONG KONG, EXCEEDING EVEN THE FEELINGS OVER TEXTILES. IT IS THIS RESENTMENT WHICH AUGURS SO ILL FOR ANGLO-HONG KONG RELATIONS.
THE MOST UNFORTUNATE RESULT OF THE DECISION HAS BEEN TO AROUSE FEELINGS AMONGST THE HONG KONG POPULATIONS OF 'COLONIALISM' A SERIOUS MATTER SO FAR AS CHINESE AND CHINA ARE CONCERNED. PUBLIC REACTION.
IN SUMMARY, THE FOLLOWING WAS THE POSITION:
''BRITAIN'S SELL-OUT.
(A) RADIO: ''TALK ABOUT'', A DAILY PHONE-IN PROGRAMME IN CANTONESE,
DEVOTED AN ENTIRE 2 HOURS ONE DAY TO THE ISSUE: EVERY SINGLE CALLER CRITICISED THE CAA DECISION. TYPICAL COMMENTS INCLUDED-1 ''EXPLOITATION'', ''DISCRIMINATION'', ''GREED'', ''SECOND-RATE
" ''SUPPRESSIONS CITIZENSHIP'', ''OPEN-LINE'’- A SIMILAR PROGRAMME IN ENGLISH- OVER THE PERIOD OF A WEEK BROADCAST OVER 100 CALLS OF WHICH 80 WERE ANTI, 8 WERE PRO THE DECISION, AND THE REST WERE NEUTRAL. BOTH PROGRAMMES DEMONSTRATED CYNICAL DISBELIEF AT THE JUSTIFICATION GIVEN FOR THE
DECISION, ASCRIBING IT TO COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION OF COLONIAL HONG KONG BY A SELF-INTERESTED BRITISH GOVERNMENT. THERE WERE RELATIVELY FEW DIRECT CRITICISMS OF BCAL AS SUCH- IT WAS THE EXCLUSION OF CPA THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE OUTRAGE, TOGETHER WITH DISTRUST OF THE DC10 AS A SAFE AEROPLANE. (B) NEWSPAPERS: EDITORIALS IN 16 CHINESE AND 4 ENGLISH DAILY PAPERS (WITH A COMBINED CIRCULATION OF OVER 1 MILLION)
AS DID OTHER ARTICLES. UNIVERSALLY CONDEMNED THE DECISION,
TYPICAL COMMENTS WERE: THESE ARE ALL APPENDED IN ANNEXURE A. KUNG SHEUNG DAILY NEWS: ''IN THE EYES OF THE BRITISH PEOPLE, HONG KONG IS ONLY A HEN THAT LAYS GOLDEN EGGS. AS LONG AS IT CONTINUES TO LAY EGGS, OTHER MATTERS ARE NOT IMPORTANT.... THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAVE EXPRESSED RESENTMENT: THE GENERAL FEELING IS THAT THE CAA IS STILL TAKING A COLONIAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS
HONG KONG AND IT WOULD PROTECT BRITAIN'S COMMERCIAL INTERESTS AT THE EXPENSE OF HONG KONG........ OBVIOUSLY THE AUTHORITY HAS NOT CONSIDERED THE QUESTION OF TRADE RECIPROCITY...........' SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: ''THE DECISION......WILL BE WIDELY AND RIGHTLY RESENTED IN HONG KONG.......THE DECISION SMACKS OF OLD- FASHIONED PROTECTIONISM OF THE WORST KIND...... LONDON HAS DISPLAYED A SHAMELESS ABUSE OF IMPERIAL PRIVILEGE BY SHUTTING OUT THE LOCAL AIRLINE AND DIVIDING THE ROUTE BETWEEN TWO BRITISH
AIRLINES''.
-a-
CC:
STIAL
HONG KONG
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