TNAG-1441-FCO40-1925-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 64

OCMIAN 3487

SECRET

OO HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

3U1200Z JUL

GRS 610

SECRET

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 1629

OF 301200Z JULY 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

SECRET

53487 - 1

PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR FROM WILSON

STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT: EMILY LAU

1.

YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF TWO CONVERSATIONS WHICH

EMILY LAU OF THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW HAD (SEPARATELY)

WITH MR RENTON AND MYSELF OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. BOTH

MEETINGS WITH HER WERE QUOTE UNATTRIBUTABLE UNQUOTE IE SHE WAS

ALLOWED TO SOURCE COMMENTS TO QUOTE THE VIEW IN LONDON UNQUOTE

BUT NOTHING MORE PRECISE. SHE RAISED TWO POINTS OF WHICH YOU

SHOULD BE FOREWARNED BEFORE THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE FEER APPEARS ON

1 AUGUST. WHAT FOLLOWS IS PRIMARILY FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION,

BUT YOU MAY WISH TO PASS WORD TO GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH AND JOHN

CHAN OF THE GIS.

2.

THE FIRST POINT RELATED TO OUR ALLEGED COMMUNICATION TO

THE CHINESE OF QUOTE OPTIONS UNQUOTE FOR THE 1987 REVIEW. MS LAU

TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS PLANNING TO WRITE AN ARTICLE WHICH WOULD

STATE THAT WE HAD GIVEN THE CHINESE A RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR WHAT

WOULD APPEAR IN THE REVIEW, AND HAD TOLD THEM WE HOPED THEY WOULD

TAKE ACCOUNT OF THESE OPTIONS IN DRAFTING THE BASIC LAW.

3.

I TOLD MS LAU THAT A STATEMENT ON THESE LINES WOULD BE

BOTH INACCURATE AND MISLEADING. IN INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE

1

HKK ON|1

- 6 AUG 1986

A86/81

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