TNAG-1307-FCO40-1664-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 76

106

GR 200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 13044OZ FEB 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 356 OF 13 FEBRUARY

INFO ROUTINE PEKING

TOP COPY

MKK040/1

RECEIVED

984

TY

от

107)

YOUR TELNO 257: REQUEST FOR INTERVIEW WITH MR. LUCE: HONG KONG. Chak

''SOUTH PUBLICATIONS. FUNG OF **NOVA INTERNATIONAL'',

审

свак

WE HAVE CHECKED THIS OUT WITH THE HKTDC. THEY CONFIRM HAVING RECENTLY BOOKED ADVERTISING SPACE IN THE APRIL AND AUGUST ISSUES OF ''SOUTH'' MAGAZINE, A MONTHLY TRADE JOURNAL PUBLISHED BY THE

AGENTS FOR SOUTH PUBLICATIONS' IN HONG KONG, HAD TRIED TO GET THE TDC TO ENTER INTO A LONGER-TERM COMMITMENT, AT LEAST FOR THE WHOLE FINANCIAL YEAR COMMENCING 1 APRIL 1984. THE TDC HAD EXPLAINED THAT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR ESTABLISHED POLICY, THEY WERE AT PRESENT ONLY PREPARED TO COMMIT THEMSELVES FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR. NOTHING WAS SAID ABOUT RESCHEDULING OR CANCELLATION OR ABOUT AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

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2. SINCE, COINCIDENTALLY, THE FIRST HALF OF THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR ENDS IN SEPTEMBER 1984, IT APPEARS EITHER THAT FUNG HAS PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER AND MISREPRESENTED THE TDC'S POSITION TO HIS PRINCIPALS, OR THAT ''SOUTH PUBLICATIONS ARE DELIBERATELY PUTTING THEIR OWN GLOSS ON THE SITUATION AS A PLOY TO SECURE AN

INTERVIEW WITH THE MINISTER.

3. WE UNDERSTAND FROM THE TDC THAT ''SOUTH'' IS QUITE A GOOD TRADE JOURNAL, ALBEIT RELATIVELY NEW (FIRST PUBLISHED JULY 1981) AND HAS A WORLD-WIDE CIRCULATION OF JUST OVER 60,000 COPIES. IT IS OWNED BY ARAB INTERESTS ALTHOUGH THE PUBLISHER AND THE EDITORIAL STAFF ARE BRITISH.

4. WE AGREE THAT THE MINISTER SHOULD BE ADVISED AGAINST AN

INTERVIEW.

YOUDE

MINIMAL HRD NEWS D

CONFIDENTIAL