TNAG-1240-FCO40-1553-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 123

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GR 300

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FM HONG KONG 100840Z AUG 83

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1183 OF 10 AUGUST

INFO ROUTINE 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.

PA

THE LOCAL COMMUNIST PRESS HAVE RESPONDED TO SUGGESTIONS IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS THAT XU JIATUN'S VISIT TO KOWLOON WALLED CITY AND HIS PRAISE FOR THE KAIFONG ASSOCIATION WAS INTENDED AS A POINTER TO WHAT CHINA MEANT BY SELF ADMINISTRATION'' (MY TELNO 1168 AND SMITH'S TELELETTER OF 9 AUGUST TO MARGOLIS).

2. AN EDITORIAL IN THE NEW EVENING POST ON 9 AUGUST SAID THAT WHILST SOME PEOPLE TREATED THE WORK OF THE KAIFONG ASSOCIATION

AS 'WALLED CITY PEOPLE RULING THE WALLED CITY'', COMPARING IT

TO HONG KONG RULING HONG KONG'', THIS WAS A 'RIDICULOUS

COMPARISON''. THE EDITORIAL SAID THAT THE WALLED CITY REPRESENTED

ONE OF THE WORST EXAMPLES OF THE BRITISH INVASION OF HONG KONG

AND THAT THE AREA HAD DETERIORATED INTO ONE OF THE WORST LIVING

ENVIRONMENTS IN THE TERRITORY. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT USED ALL ! SORTS OF EXCUSES TO TRY AND SHIRK THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE

RESIDENTS OF THE WALLED CITY.

3. THE OTHER LEADING COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS ALSO REACTED STRONGLY.

TA KUNG PAO SIAD THAT CRITICS WHO INSISTED THAT THE WALLED CITY

WAS A ''MESS' BECAUSE OF SELF-ADMINISTRATION WERE ''NOT IN THEIR

RIGHT MINDS AND PROBABLY DREAMING OF PERMANENT BRITISH RULE. THE

MESS WAS CAUSED BY MANY SPECIAL REASONS, NOT BECAUSE OF SELF-

ADMINISTRATION. WEN WEI PO PRODUCED A HISTORY OF THE WALLED

CITY (TRANSLATION BY BAG) WHICH SAID THAT MISGUIDED PROPAGANDA

HAD PAINTED THE PLACE AS A VICE-DEN. IN FACT MOST OF THE RESIDENTS

THERE WERE GOOD CITIZENS. RESTRICTED

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