TNAG-1237-FCO40-1550-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 13

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HKK 040/1

696

MKK040|1

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3 1 MAY 1983

$0. 51

DESK OFFICE INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

Mr Hoare

Hare

Mr Clift

cc: (without encs) Mr Thomson, FED

Mr Walker, Research Dept

See B.IO

A

attached

attached

4

B C D

E

attached

F

attached

OPINION IN HONG KONG ON THE FUTURE

1.

In a personal teleletter to the Governor on

25 October 1982 Mr Clift sought the Governor's views on what the general public and groups other than EXCO thought about the future, and how any variance of views between different groups or sectors of the public might be identified and assessed. In short, we know what the Unofficials think, are their views truly representative of the population as a whole?

2.

To our regret, but not perhaps to our surprise, no reply was forthcoming.

3.

We now feel that we ought to return to the charge on this, prompted partly by the recent appointment to the CPPCC of more than 40 Hong Kong residents, including a number from the non-Communist world, among them two former LEGCO members. (Hong Kong telegrams 642, 727 and 728 and the HKG News Roundup of 10 May refer)

4.

Given your knowledge of some of the personalities involved and the general "vibes" which you will have picked up during your recent visit to Hong Kong Mr Clift would be grateful for your views.

5.

It is obviously not an easy issue for the Governor to tackle and our letter to him (or to Robin McLaren) will have to be carefully worded, but the issue must be faced. As Sir S Y Chung himself has said (Hong Kong telegram number 1334 of 18 November 1982) the Unofficials feel "a strong responsibility to the wider community which they were appointed to represent

and they would have to answer both to their own consciences and to the wider community for the advice which they had sworn under oath to give". Ministers may well ask for - but in any case we ought to have an assessment of whether the views of the Unofficials represent accurately those of the majority of Hong Kong's population, particularly on the fundamental issues of sovereignty and administration.

CODE 18-77

SS 8/78

12 May 1983

W Morris

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