UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3550
OF 21110OZ SEPTEMBER 87
INFO PRIORITY MANILA
UNCLASSIFIED
Hab 027/7
only
101755
MDLIAN 6709 117
TOP CO Q DIST 7
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, HKGO'S WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO'S LONDON, BRUSSELS, GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT: PRESS COMMENTARY
SUMMARY:
1.
THE MEDIA GAVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT. ITEMS OF MAJOR INTEREST WERE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND POLITICAL REFORM. THERE WAS ALSO SOME COVERAGE ON THE BN (0) PASSPORT AND DEFENCE COSTS. THE TONE OF THE COVERAGE DIFFERED WIDELY BETWEEN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND CHINESE NEWSPAPERS.
COVERAGE:
KONG AND HIS
THE PRESS
2. LORD GLENARTHUR'S ARRIVAL, ACTIVITIES IN HONG PRESS CONFERENCE ALL RECEIVED WIDESPREAD COVERAGE. CONFERENCE ON 19 SEPTEMBER (MY TELNO 3538) WAS THE MAIN ITEM EITHER ON FRONT OR BACK PAGE IN ALL NEWSPAPERS AS WELL AS BEING THE LEAD ITEM ON TV AND RADIO NEWS. WHEREAS THE CHINESE PRESS GAVE DETAILED FACTUAL AND STRAIGHT FORWARD ACCOUNTS OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS ADOPTED A GENERALLY HOSTILE STANCE. THE SCMP'S HEADLINE READ ''LORD GLENARTHUR TUSSLES WITH MEDIA AND THE STANDARD SAID THE MINISTER GAVE ''NOTHING BUT EVASIVE ANSWERS ''
1 1
·
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:
3 =
MING PAO, TIN TIN AND SING PAO NOTED IN BANNER HEADLINES THAT THE MINISTER HAD INSTRUCTED HMA HANOI TO MAKE A FURTHER APPROACH TO THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT ON HIS RETURN. CHING PAO NOTED IN SUB HEADLINES THAT THE MINISTER HAD REJECTED THE IDEA OF HAVING A REGIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FINDING A NEW DEFINITION FOR ''REFUGEES AND HAD REJECTED CALLS FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO GIVE HKG MORE DISCRETION TO APPROACH RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES DIRECT. THESE POINTS WERE PICKED UP BY MANY OTHER PAPERS. THE SUGGESTION THAT HMG HAD KEPT HONG KONG PEOPLE IN THE DARK OVER CONTACTS WITH THE VIETNAMESE, WHICH FORMED A MAJOR THEME IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE, WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS. IN A FRONT PAGE STORY HEADLINED 'CONFLICT
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