RESTRICTED
DESKBY 25060OZ
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 25064OZ NOV`83′′ ́··
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1824 OF 25 NOVEMBER
HKKO 402 ккороб
RECEIVED IN REGISTY
UKMİNDEK
2 5 NOV 1983
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKINDESK OFFICIA INFO ROUTINE HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
317
LISTHY Action Taken
TOP COPS/2 CM11/12
1. THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE HONG KONG STANDARD AND TWO INDEPENDENT CHINESE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS CARRIED ACCOUNTS OF REMARKS REPORTEDLY MADE BY A NUMBER OF SENIOR NONA OFFICIALS AT A DINNER GIVEN BY NCNA FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS WHO RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A VISIT TO PEKING. THE MAIN POINTS REPORTED WERE AS FOLLOWS:
(A) BRITISH LAWYERS COULD STILL PRACTICE IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997. (B) HONG KONG'S JUDICIAL AND LEGAL SYSTEMS WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED AFTER CHINA HAD REGAINED SOVEREIGNTY. CASE LAW IN HONG KONG AND BRITAIN WOULD BE ADOPTED TOO''.
(C) THE SNO/BRITISH TALKS WERE MAINLY ABOUT BRITISH AND CHINESE INTERESTS IN THE FIELD OF BUSINESS DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN NOW
AND 1997.
(D) (CONTRARY TO (B) ABOVE) THE BRITISH JUDICIAL SYSTEM WOULD BE USED BEFORE 1997, BUT WOULD BE MODIFIED ACCORDING TO THE WISHES OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE THEREAFTER.
2. THE LEFT-WING AND INDEPENDENT PRESS BOTH CARRIED REPORTS OF HU YAOBANG'S REMARKS IN TOKYO TO THE EFFECT THAT EXTERNAL FORCES WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO OBSTRUCT THE RESUMPTION BY CHINA OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG AS SCHEDULED.
3. THE LEFT-WING PRESS (PROMINENTLY) AND THE INDEPENDENT PRESS (ROUTHWELY) REPORTED THAT THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WOULD SHORTLY BE SENDING THE TEXT OF THEIR LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER, HAVING GATHERED 905 SIGNATURES. MOST PAPERS CARRIED
ACCOUNTS OF THE LETTER IDENTICAL TO THE ONE IN THE TA XUNG PAO
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT AND REPORTED IN MY TELNO 1814.
4. THE NEW EVENING POST EDITORIAL ON 24 NOVEMBER CALLED ON LOCAL CITIZENS TO OFFER SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF HONG KONG'S
**MANN CONSTITUTION'', IT WAS COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED AND NECESSARY
FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE TO DISCUSS FULLY THE DRAFT OF THIS CONSTITUTION.
NO EXTERNAL FORCES COULD PROHIBIT HONG KONG COMPATRIOTS FROM EXERCISING THIS RIGHT, AND NO INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANISATION COULD MONOPOLISE THE CHANNELS FOR CONVEYING OPINIONS ON THIS ISSUE.
DIFFERENT OPINIONS COULD BE HEARD DURING THE DISCUSSION OF THE
MINI-CONSTITUTION SO LONG AS THEY RECOGNISED THE PREMISE THAT
CHINA REGAINED SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. THE TIN TIN DAILY NEWS
(PRO-CHINA) IN ITS EDITORIAL SAID THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG SHOULD
NOT REJECT REASONABLE DECISIONS MADE BY CHINA ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE.
NO-ONE, NOT EVEN BRITAIN, COULD FRUSTRATE CHINA'S DETERMINATION
TO RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD
DEFINITELY CONTINUE THEIR PRESENT LIFESTYLE. RESTRICTED 15.
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