TNAG-1708-FCO40-2383-Hong-Kong-narcotics-offences-and-drug-trafficking-1987 — Page 144

RESTRICTED

FM FCO

TO ROUTINE HONG KONG

TELNO 2264

OF 26093OZ AUGUST 87

INFO ROUTINE PEKING

RESTRICTED

teveo

RECEIVE!

383 +

011212

MDLOAN 0320

2 & AUG 1987

HY

Taken

OUR TELNO 2219: LETTER FROM THE EARL OF WINCHILSEA: STATUS OF PRISONERS AFTER 1997

1.

ON FURTHER REFLECTION WE CONCLUDED THAT LORD WINCHILSEA WAS NOT IN FACT ASKING DIRECTLY ABOUT QUOTE RENDITION UNQUOTE: EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER 1997. THAT ISSUE MAY HAVE BEEN AT THE BACK OF HIS MIND, BUT THE ONLY ISSUES DIRECTLY ADDRESSED IN THE LETTER SEEMED TO BE THE STATUS OF ALL PRISONERS DETAINED IN HONG KONG IN 1997 AND THE POSITION THEN OF THE SMALL NUMBER WHO MAY HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO HONG KONG UNDER THE FUGITIVE OFFENDERS ACT BEFORE 1997.

2. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE JUDGED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST NOT TO ATTEMPT TO COVER QUOTE RENDITION UNQUOTE IN THE RESPONSE TO LORD WINCHILSEA. THE FINAL PARAGRAPH OF THE REPLY IN OUR TELNO 2212 WAS THEREFORE OMITTED. WE DID, HOWEVER, ADD A FURTHER PASSAGE

IN THE THIRD PARAGRAPH TO DEAL WITH LORD WINCHILSEA'S APPARENT CONCERN ABOUT PRISONERS WHO MIGHT BE QUOTE TRANSFERRED UNQUOTE TO THE PRC IN 1997. (THE END OF THE FIRST AND THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF HIS LETTER REFER, THOUGH WHAT LORD WINCHILSEA MEANS IS FAR FROM CLEAR).

3*

FOR

IN LORD

HOWE

CONVENIENCE, THE TEXT OF THE REPLY AS SENT (FROM MR EGGAR GLENARTHUR'S ABSENCE) IS IN MIFT.

YYYY

1

PAGE RESTRICTED