CONFIDENTIAL
FAR EAST RELAY STATION : ESSENTIAL FACTS
BACKGROUND
ļ
1.
The new capital programme for the BBC External Services,
which Treasury have approved in principle, provides for
construction of a Far East Relay Station between 1985 and 1988
(£6,750,000 at 1981 prices has been allocated to the project
over this four-year period). The purpose is to improve audibility of BBC transmissions in the Far East in general, but
particularly in North East China and Japan where this is at
present a problem. The Foreign Affairs Committee has
recommended, as a matter of urgency, that the Hong Kong relay
station be brought into use without further delay.
PROGRESS TO DATE
2.
In 1981 the BBC in consultation with the Hong Kong
Government identified two sites for the station, at Che Ha and
Tsang Tsui, both in the New Territories. The Che Ha site, which
was preferred by the BBC, was ruled out by the Hong Kong Government on development grounds. Lord Carrington wrote to the
then Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, in March 1982 urging the
Hong Kong Government to look favourably on the project.
3.
A proposal to grant the site at Tsang Tsui to the BBC was
put to the Executive Council (EXCO) in July. EXCO agreed in principle that a site should be provided to the BBC at the cost
to the Hong Kong Government of acquiring the land and with no
additional premium; but they were concerned that a station at
Tsang Tsui would be conspicuous from the Chinese mainland and therefore politically provocative.
CONFIDENTIAL
/4.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.