TNAG-1298-FCO40-1653-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 91

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CONFIDENTIAL

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12 APR 1984

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Notice Tamen

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Secrets & Starte

FROM: R D CLIFT, HKD DATE: 5 April 1984

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Private Secretary

SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG

PROBLEM

1.

A letter from Mr Robert Adley MP suggesting that the Secretary of State should try to find the time to meet three names individuals while in Hong Kong.

RECOMMENDATION

I recommend that the Secretary of State should reply on the lines of the attached draft.

2.

BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT

3.

The three people suggested by Mr Adley are:

B

(a) David Hunter, a Judge of the Supreme Court;

(b)

(c)

4.

John Walden, a former Director of Home Affairs in the Hong Kong Government, who is now carrying out independent research on Hong Kong's administration and future. He is a regular commentator on public affairs in Hong Kong. He is strongly critical of the lack of democratic development in the territory, and of the way in which both the Hong Kong and British Governments have dealt with questions related to the future.

Mrs Elsie Elliott CBE, an elected Urban Councillor who has for many years been an outspoken critic of corruption and maladministration in Hong Kong. Her main target is the Hong Kong Government, but on occasion she has not spared HMG either.

We have already asked the Hong Kong Government to include Mr Hunter, who we understand is a personal friend of the Secretary of State's, in a reception to be held on the evening of 19 April. The Hong Kong Government have arranged a lunch. for the Secretary of State on the same day with 40 community leaders (guest list attached). They do not think it would be valuable for the Secretary of State to meet Mr Walden. (He is something of a maverick, and formally speaking represents no one but himself). They have been able to invite only a selection of Urban Councillors to the lunch and consider that it is more important for the Secretary of State to meet Hong Kong Chinese members rather than Mrs Elliott, whose comments are unlikely to be helpful but who would tend to dominate local press coverage of the event. On both counts I think the Hong Kong Government is probably right.

слыши

RD Clift

5 April 1984

Hong Kong Department

CONFIDENTIAL