TNAG-1721-FCO40-2401-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-delegati-1988 — Page 17

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FROM: PS/Lord Glenarthur DATE: 16 June 1988

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CALL ON LORD GLENARTHUR BY MISS LYDIA DUNN

1.

Lydia Dunn called on Lord Glenarthur this morning. This minute records the main points covered during a friendly chat.

2. Miss Dunn said that Vietnamese refugees would probably be at the top of the agenda during Lord Glenarthur's visit. The step we had now taken would be very welcome. Even the expatriate media, normally sympathetic to the refugees, had changed their tune. Although Lord Glenarthur would certainly be quizzed on what we were going to do next, most people would be content to give the new policy a bit of time.

3. Miss Dunn thought that the debate on the basic law (BL) etc had gone well. Lord Glenarthur's speech had covered all the important points. Only a small but vocal minority in Hong Kong were interested in BL: even the media did not know how to tackle it and were afraid of boring their readers. The atmoshpere was much calmer.

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Miss Dunn noted that Martin Lee's attitude had also changed. His own constituency thought he had gone too far over the Green/White Papers. He had told her that there were efforts to dislodge him. His new moderation made the atmosphere in Legco much easier. But he was likely to revert to his former ebullience after the elections, and would be forthright over direct elections in 1991.

5. Miss Dunn said that Lord Glenarthur could also expect pressure over the treatment of Hong Kong passport holders at British ports. It would be important for him to appear sympathetic, and to make clear that there was not a general policy of discrimination. He should emphasise that the difficulties seemed to have occurred at one port in particular, and that steps were being taken. (It would obviously be helpful to know by telegram whether there will be anything more definite we can say during Lord Glenarthur's visit).

Emigration? 6.

Immigration would also be a subject of interest. Miss Dunn agreed that the Chinese had the key role in boosting confidence. It was essential that they should appear to respond to views expressed in Hong Kong. signs were encouraging.

She thought the

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