SHE WAS HELD FOR 7 DAYS.
(C) CHEN SHUN HSING
CHEN HEADING A FAMILY OF 7 INCLUDING MOTHER OF 73 AND A CHILD OF 3 WERE DETAINED AT LO WU EVEN THOUGH THEY HELD VISAS FOR SURINAM. THEY WERE HELD IN A DETENTION CAMP FOR 7 DAYS AND SUFFERED THE SAME ''MALTREATMENT'' AS (A) AND (B).
3. LIU SAID THAT IN THE OPINION OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT THE INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED HAD INTENDED TRAVELLING ON TO SURI NAM. THEY SHOULD NOT THEREFORE HAVE BEEN DETAINED. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES REGARDED THEIR DETENTION AND TREATMENT AS 'INHUMANE'' PARTICULARLY AS IN CASE (C) THE OLD AND VERY YOUNG WERE INVOLVED. SUCH PRACTICES WERE ''INAPPROPRIATE WITH THE PRESENT STATE OF RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITIAN AND CHINA AND THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES INSISTED THAT WE STOP SUCH TREATMENT. IN ADDITION HE REITERATED DEMANDS (11), (111) AND (IV) CONTAINED IN PARA 3 OF OUR TELNO 626. HE ALSO CLAIMED THAT SOME CHINESE CITIZENS ARRIVING AT LO WU ARE STILL BEING TOLD TO GO TO THE BRITISH EMBASSY, PEKING TO APPLY FOR TRANSIT FACILITIES FOR HONG KONG (PARA 2 (1) OF OUR TELNO 626).
4. OWEN EXPRESSED CONCERN AT THE ALLEGATIONS OF MALTREATMENT OF DETAINEES. HE ALSO ARGUED FOR A RETURN TO THE STATUS QUO ANTE 22 MARCH. ON THE QUESTION OF THE DEMANDS HE ONCE MORE WENT OVER THE GROUND CONTAINED IN PARAS 2 TO 9 OF HONG KONG TELNO 1278. LIU WAS NOT RECEPTIVE AND WAS CLEARLY NOT PREPARED TO DISCUSS THE 22 MARCH CHANGE OF POLICY. HE REFERRED TO THIS AS ANOTHER PROBLEM. HE THEN RETURNED TO THE CHARGE OF ALLEGED MALTREATMENT OF DETAINEES.
5. OUR FEELING IS THAT, ALTHOUGH THE CHINESE ARE STILL NOT CONVINCED OF THE NEED FOR DETENTION, THEY ARE AT PRESENT MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEIR CITIZENS ARE DETAINED THAN THE REASONS FOR THEIR DETENTION. WE APPRECIATE THAT GENUINE CASES ARE SOMETIMES CAUGHT IN THE NET. BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS OF MALTREATMENT BROUGH AGAINST THE HONG KONG PRISON AUTHORITIES. WE REALISE THE DIFFICULTIES AND ACCOMMODATION LIMITATIONS UNDER WHICH THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES HAVE TO OPERATE, BUT IF THE NUMBERS DETAINED CONTINUE TO INCREASE, THEN UNLESS THERE IS AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE DETENTION ARRANGEMENTS, THIS COULD BECOME A MATTER OF CONTINUING CONTENTION IN OUR RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE. GRATEFUL FOR HONG KONG'S COMMENTS PARTICULARLY ON THE ALLEGED HANDCUFFING REFERRED TO IN
CASE (B).
2
CONFIDENTIAL
16.
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