TNAG-1473-FCO40-2004-Visits-by-MPs-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 183

GRS 350

CONFIDENT NAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 541

OF 19101OZ FEBRUARY 86

INFO ROUTINE PEKING

DISTRIBUTION SELECTORS FILE COPY

CONFIDENTIAL

FOLLOWING FOR GALSWORTHY.

HONG KONG INFORMATION SERVICES:

REMARKS BY MR. ROBERT ADLEY, MP.

TODAY'S SCM POST CARRIED A FRONT-PAGE REPORT BY MICHAEL CHUGANI THAT MR. ADLEY HAD SCRAPPED A MUCH-PUBLICISED PLANNED

VISIT TO THE TERRITORY OVER THE WEEKEND''. CHUGAN SAID IT HAD BEEN EXPLAINED THAT MR. ADLEY HAD CANCELLED THE VISIT ''BECAUSE HE COULD NOT FIT UT INTO HIS SCHEDULE, BUT THAT OTHER SOURCES HAD DISMISSED THIS AND SAID 'MR. ADLEY HAD BEEN ADVISED NOT TO COME HERE BECAUSE HE WOULD ENCOUNTER A HOSTILE RECEPTION**

1

2. IN A LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH RTHK, WHICH WAS BROADCAST HERE THIS MORNING, MR. ADLEY STRONGLY DENIED THE SCM POST REPORT. TOWARDS THE END OF THE INTERVIEW HE SAID IT WAS NOTE- WORTHY THAT THESE STORIES ALWAYS COME FROM THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST WHICH, IN MANY OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG'S VIEW, IS LITTLE MORE THAN A MOUTHPIECE FOR THE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. IS SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YET ANOTHER FABRICATION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S INFORMATION OFFICE AND THINK THIS ASPECT OF IT IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING WHICH I MIGHT WELL LOOK INTO MYSELF''

3. DIRECTOR OF HWFORMATION SERVICES SAID ON RTHK'S OPEN LINE'' LATER IN THE MORNING THAT HE TOOK ''THE VERY STRONGEST EXCEPTION TO MR. ADLEY'S REMARK'' AND THAT ''FABRICATION IS NOT, REPEAT NOT WHAT (HIS) DEPARTMENT ENGAGES IN**

YOUDE

LIMITED

!KD

ps

PS/ MR RENTON

Psl pos

PS

SIR W. HARDING

DR WILSON.

CONFIDENTIAL