TNAG-1159-FCO40-1439-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 47

? spare (120

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GR 200

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FM HONG KONG 290758Z JUL 82

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 827 OF 29 JULY

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

ник отыг

어

Puerto

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA : ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE HONG KONG

PRESS.

WE HAVE HEARD THAT MANY LOCAL NEWSPAPERS, AS WELL AS THE TV AND

RADIO STATIONS, INTEND TO SEND REPORTERS TO PEKING TO COVER THE VISIT. LOCAL JOURNALISTS OF CHINESE RACE MAY ENTER CHINA FREELY ON PRC ISSUED HOME VISIT PERMITS. THE (EXPATRIATE) NEWS EDITOR OF THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST HAS ALSO ENQUIRED ABOUT ACCREDITION AS A MEMBER OF THE OFFICIAL PRESS PARTY.

t

сорлени Miss Howlett

PCD

pay 418

2. HONG KONG JOURNALISTS HAVE A LIGITIMATE INTEREST IN COVERING

THE VISIT. SINCE THERE IS NO WAY OF PREVENTING THEM FROM APPEARING IN PEKING, IT WOULD SEEM ADVISABLE TO HAVE THEM PROPERLY ACCREDITED. IF THE CHINESE ARE PREPARED TO ACCEPT A REASONABLE

ARTY FROM HONG KONG, WE COULD ORGANIZE POOLING ARRANGEMENTS AND KEEP THE NUMBERS DOWN. THE ALTERNATIVE IS A DISORGANIZED AND

DISGRUNTLED HORDE WHOM THE CHINESE WILL NO DOUBT TREAT IN A FAIRLY PEREMPTORY FASHION. THIS COULD LEAD TO ENDLESS AND UNNECESSARY

GRUMBLES ABOUT DISCRIMINATION WITH UNDESIRABLE CONSEQUENCES FOR RE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE PRIME MINISSTR'S VISIT TO HONG KONG.

3. SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS, PERHAPS PEKING COULD TAKE THIS UP

WITH THE MFA.

HADDON-CAVE

LIMITED

FED NEWS D Ped

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT ADVANCED

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MR DONALD

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