TNAG-1598-FCO40-2191-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 51

CODE 18-77

My Ham

You may mish

to note.

Mr Paul, HKD

N/12

CONFIDENTIAL

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011

Reference.

HKB 011/2

15 DEC 1987

From watt

Walker

Asian Region

(693

Research Department OAB 2/125 210 6220

Date: 10 December 1987

CC : Mr Fifoot, Deputy

Legal Adviser (without enclosures)

HONG KONG: VISIT OF MARTIN LEE AND DELEGATION TO LONDON

1. Mr Fifoot has already given Mr Hum an account of Martin Lee's address to a meeting at SOAS on 8 December, which both Mr Fifoot and I attended. You may find it useful also to have the following note of points made by Mr Lee.

2.

Martin Lee gave a polished performance. The content of his address was similar to comments made by him before his departure from Hong Kong, as reported in Hong Kong telegrams. He claimed that the British Government had reneged on promises given in 1984 to arrange for Hong Kong to have a

democratically elected government in place well before 1997 so

to enable the people of Hong Kong to exercise the "high degree of autonomy" stipulated in the Joint Declaration. (At one point he said that the Hong Kong Government had promised in 1984 that direct elections would be introduced in 1988.) He further charged both the British and Chinese governments with violating the stipulation of the Joint Declaration concerning British responsibility for the administration of Hong Kong up to 1997 by permitting Chinese interference, in particular by allowing Chinese views to determine policy on the question of direct elections to the Legislative Council.

3. Lee also accused the Hong Kong government of ignoring local people's opinion on such questions as the Daya Bay nuclear power station and the public order ordinance prescribing penalties for the publication of false news.

4. Lee said that the report of the Survey Office painted a "dishonest picture" and he asserted that contrary to the findings of the report, the majority of Hong Kong people were really in favour of direct elections. He expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the majority of members of the Basic Law Drafting Committee for not insisting on adequate safeguards for Hong Kong's autonomy.

5.

Lee critivised the British Government for "cold- shouldering" his own delegation which he claimed to represent the majority of Hong Kong opinion. In particular he criticised Ministers' refusal to receive the whole delegation.

CONFIDENTIAL