布政司署
CONFIDENTIAL
6
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
the list, Pragicetta de
香港下亞畢道
本署檔號 Our Ref:
Prissue
Mr. Willigno
來函檔號 YOUR REF:
இயடி
R D/Clit Esq HICK 302/2
Hong Ko
FOO
STRY NO. 51
15 SEP 1981
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
Action Taką
fee
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
7 September, 1981
आव
འ .
I hope NCNA will see
give their staff the lave of Hts to read!
The reply briefly expresy "support for the action
ARREST OF A MEMBER OF THE NCNA STAFF
Pi. dp Biolg
On 28 August NCNA told Richard that one of their staff members, Xiao Xinhua, had been arrested for theft. They said he was taking the pedal off what he understood to be a derelict motor cycle in Wanchai. He thought the machine had been abandoned and had not realised that he had committed an offence. They did not ask for any particular action to be taken but were clearly worried about the implications of him being summoned to appear in court.
2.
We subsequently discovered that Xiao, who appears to be a computer technician, was due to appear in court the following morning. There was no doubt that he had committed an offence and would be found guilty. He had a spanner in his pocket and had admitted to the police that he intended to take the pedal.
3.
I decided that we should get the charges dropped and arranged to do this through the Attorney General's office. My reasons for doing so were: (i) NCNA is quasi-diplomatic. We have always been able to arrange things so that their unofficial status did not give them difficulties which could be used as a lever to press for official status; (ii) we have argued that the Visa Office, if set up without formal privileges, would in practice have near-immunity; (iii) the offence was minor and probably a foolish mistake; and (iv) we could be reasonably sure that NCNA would punish the man more effectively than we could.
4.
As you probably know the Chinese are highly sensitive about their officials (whatever their position here) appearing in our courts. We are soon to have two appearing as witnesses in a case involving disruption during the Soong Ching-ling memorial events. I do not know what would have happened if the case had not been
ร
/contd.
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