TNAG-1321-FCO40-1727-Future-of-Hong-Kong-opinion-polls-and-surveys-1984 — Page 293

CPS260

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENMAL

FM HONG KONG 040955Z JAN 84

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 23 OF 4 JANUARY

INFO PEKING

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Pa pre if it is not ful file AFB

already

or

1/2

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and the Oferion

go

MY TELNOS 1757 AND 1920: CHOW HING-CHUEN

Poll file. !

AS ANTICIPATED, CHOW HING-CHUEN HELD HIS THIRD PUBLIC RALLY IN VICTORIA PARK ON 26 DECEMBER. IT LASTED FROM ABOUT 3.00 P.M. UNTIL 5.45 P.M. AND WAS ATTENDED BY SOME 150 TO 200 PEOPLE, ELEVEN OF WHOM MADE SPEECHES. NONE OF THE SPEAKERS WERE PROMINENT FIGURES. ELEVEN BANNERS WERE PUT UP AND MORE THAN 100 POSTERS DISTRIBUTED. THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS.

2. THE THEME OF THE RALLY WAS QUOTE TO SUPPORT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO UNQUOTE WITH SPEECHES ATTACKING THE LACK OF FREEDOM AND THE RULE OF LAW IN CHINA AND THE VACILLATION AND UNTRUSTWORTHINESS OF CHINESE POLICIES. CHOW READ OUT A LETTER HE HAD WRITTEN TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UN AND 70 HEADS OF GOVERNMENT APPEALING FOR SUPPORT FROM CITIZENS OF THE QUOTE FREE WORLD UNQUOTE. THE WANDERERS ASSOCIATION WOULD BE CONDUCTING A POLL OF QUOTE TRUE PUBLIC OPINION UNQUOTE ON THE BASIS OF WHICH CHOW WOULD PREPARE A PAPER ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND PRESENT IT AT A FOURTH RALLY (NO DATE GIVEN).

3. THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT PRESS REACTION APPEARED IN THE MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO (MY TELNO 2028) WHICH CRITICISED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FOR ALLOWING THE RALLY TO TAKE PLACE. HOWEVER, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE TURN OUT WAS VERY LOW.

4. NCNA HAVE NOT YET RENEWED THEIR REPRESENTATIONS TO US. YOUDE

LIMITED

T

ако

Puso

FED

SIRT BULLARD

MR DONALD

MR WRIGHT

CONFIDENTIAL

THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED

MIKKO 40/25

VEL IN KE

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