TNAG-1405-FCO40-1880-Future-of-Hong-Kong-passports-and-visas-1985 — Page 120

[_HKKOR 28]

17 MAY 1985

53

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DD 160100Z MANILA

GRS 293

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 160100Z

FM FCO 151800Z MAY 85

TO IMMEDIATE MANILA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 87 OF 15 MAY

YOUR TELNO 139: PHILIPPINES ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER'S CALL ON MR

LUCE

1. THIS WAS UNEVENTFUL, MR CASTRO TAKING A PREDICTABLY UPBEAT

LINE ON PROSPECTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES.

2.

A)

DISCUSSIONS COVERED:

UK-PHILIPPINES RELATIONS: AIR SERVICES

CASTRO SPOKE POSITIVELY ABOUT OUR RELATIONS, MAKING NO SUBSTANTIVE COMMENT ON AIR SERVICES.

B) PHILIPPINES INSURGENCY

CASTRO SAID THE INSURGENCY PROBLEM WAS NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS IN THE

1950'S BUT ADMITTED THAT THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND THE QUOTE

DISENCHANTMENT OF THE PEOPLE UNQUOTE WERE MAKING FOR DIFFICULTIES

IN TACKLING THE THREAT. HE SAID PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE ON THE

ECONOMIC FRONT AND SPOKE WITH HOPE THAT THE QUOTE DETERMINATION

UNQUOTE OF PRESIDENT MARCOS AND GEN RAMOS WOULD QUOTE TURN ROUND

UNQUOTE THE INSURGENCY PROBLEM.

C) CAMBODIA

CASTRO OUTLINED CURRENT ASEAN MOVES. HE SAID THAT ASEAN'S

POSITION HAD NOT CHANGED IN SUBSTANCE AS A RESULT OF THE

SET BACK SUFFERED BY THE CAMBODIAN RESISTANCE FORCES. MR LUCE

SAID THAT WE CONTINUED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT POL POT AND THE

KHMER ROUGE. CASTRO SAID ASEAN SHARED OUR CONCERN.

D) ASEAN

BOTH SIDES EXPRESSED ENTHUSIASM FOR CLOSER EC/ASEAN TIES.

E) HONG KONG

CASTRO SAID HE WAS SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT THE PHILIPPINES

WOULD FACE A QUOTE PASSPORT PROBLEM UNQUOTE WHEN THE STATUS OF

HONG KONG RESIDENTS CHANGED. MR LUCE SAID THAT THE MAIN CONSEQUENC

OF THE CHANGE TO BRITISH NATIONAL OVERSEAS STATES IN 1997 WAS

1

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