TNAG-1240-FCO40-1553-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 121

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GR 600

RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG 08093DZ AUG 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1163 OF 8 AUGUST

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, WASHINGTON (FOR HK GOVT REP), CG NEW YORK (FOR HK GOVT REP), BRUSSELS (FOR HK GOVT REP), UKMIS GENEVA (FOR HK GOVT REP)

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.

THE LEAD STORY IN TODAY'S COMMUNIST AND SEVERAL OTHER NEWSPAPERS

WAS AN ACCOUNT OF NCNA DIRECTOR XU JIATUN'S VISIT TO THE KOWLOON

WALLED CITY YESTERDAY. NCNA REPURTED THAT XU HAD SOUGHT DETAILS

OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF AND LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE WALLED

CITY. ACCORDING TO NCNA, XU WAS FULL OF PRAISE FOR THE SELF-ELECTED

MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL KAIFONG WELFARE PROMOTION ASSOCIATION WHICH HE WAS TOLD ADMINISTERED THE WALLED CITY. HE SAID HE WAS CONCERNED,

HOWEVER, ABOUT THE ''INCONVENIENCES' OF LIFE IN THE WALLED CITY.

XU ALSO CALLED ON HONG KONG COMPATRIOTS AND IMMIGRANTS FROM THE

CHINESE MAINLAND TO UNITE, ASSURING THE LATTER THAT PROVIDED THEY

ENDORSED CHINA'S REUNIFICATION THEY WERE STILL REGARDED AS

COMPATRIOTS WHATEVER THEIR MOTIVES FOR COMING TO HONG KONG.

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2. EDITORIALS IN THE COMMUNIST WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG PAO SUPPORTED

XU'S CALL FOR UNITY AND WORK TOWARDS THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY

OF HONG KONG. TA KUNG PAO SAID THAT THE SOVEREIGNTY ISSUE WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND MANY IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA WERE WORRIED

ABOUT IT, BUT XU'S COMMENTS SHOULD REASSURE THEM.

3. COMMENT IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS SUGGESTED THAT XU'S PRAISE

FOR THE WORK OF THE WALLED CITY'S KAIFONG ASSOCIATION WAS A CLEAR REFERENCE TO THE PRACTICABILITY OF HONG KONG PEUPLE TO

RULE HONG KONG''.

4. GIVEN PROMINENT COVERAGE IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OVER THE WEEKEND WERE REMARKS MADE BY UNOFFICIAL LEGCO MEMBER SELINA CHOW AT A PASSING OUT PARADE OF POLICE CADETS. MRS CHOW URGED MORE

LOCAL RESIDENTS TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND ACTIVELY CONVEY THEIR VIEWS TO UMELCO AND TO GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENTS. WHILST THESE REMARKS WERE WIDELY WELCOMED IN THE

INDEPENDENT PRESS, A COLUMNIST IN THE NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST)

SAID THAT LOCAL RESIDENTS' VIEWS SHOULD BE CONVEYED THROUGH

''PROPER CHANNELS BUT NOT NECESSARILY THROUGH UMELCO (THE

COLUMNIST DID NOT DEFINE THE ALTERNATIVES). SIMILARLY, A LETTER

TO WEN WEI PO (COMMUNIST) COMPLAINED ABOUT EARLIER STATEMENTS

BY UNOFFICIALS (BY IMPLICATION SELINA CHOW AND ALLEN LEE).

THE READER THOUGHT SOME PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE

OF NO CONFIDENCE IN CHINA. SUCH EFFORTS WOULD NOT AT ALL HELP

THE SINO - BRITISH TALKS ON THE FUTURE RESTRICTED

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