CONFIDENTIAL
HRB. 040/2.
109
044731 MDHIAN 0591
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1986
OF 2810OOZ MAY 88
AMENDED DISTRIBUTION
24/5
TOP COPY DIST 7
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
OUR TELNO 1952 : BASIC LAW : DEBATE IN HOUSE OF LORDS
FURTHER TO PARA 3 OF TUR, DONALD TSANG MET WITH MARTIN LEE ON 23 MAY. LEE SAID THAT HE STILL INTENDED TO GO TO THE UK AND LOBBY THE LORDS BEFORE THEIR DEBATE ON THE BASIC LAW ON 10 JUNE. HIS JOURNALIST FRIENDS HERE AND IN THE UK WERE ENCOURAGING HIM TO MAKE THE TRIP. IF THIS CAME ABOUT, HE WOULD PROBABLY BE ACCOMPANIED BY ONLY DANIEL FUNG, AS THE OTHER PEOPLE ON HIS LAST UK TRIP IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMONS DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER WERE NOT AVAILABLE. BUT HE WOULD NOT KNOW WHETHER HE COULD UNDERTAKE THIS TRIP UNTIL :
(A) HE COULD BE SURE THAT THE COURT CASE HE WAS HANDLING WOULD BE CONCLUDED BY 4 JUNE: AND
(B) THE CRITIQUE ON THE BASIC LAW PREPARED JOINTLY BY HIM AND SZETO WAH WOULD BE READY FOR PUBLICATION.
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3. TSANG ASKED LEE ABOUT HIS CRITIQUE ON THE BASIC LAW. LEE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS AN ARTICLE BY ARTICLE ANALYSIS, BUT ONLY THE MOST DEFECTIVE ONES WERE CHOSEN FOR CRITICISM IT WOULD RUN TO ABOUT 90 PAGES. THE TEXT WAS ALREADY WITH THE PRINTER, AND SHOULD BE READY FOR PUBLICATION IN A WEEK'S TIME. THE CRITIQUE WOULD BE PUBLISHED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE, UNDER THE TITLE ''THE BASIC LAW : THE BASIC FLAWS!! HE INTENDED TO USE THIS CRITIQUE
THE LORDS.
AS THE MAIN TEXT FOR LOBBYING
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4. ON THE BLCC CONSULTATION EXERCISE, LEE REMARKED THAT PUBLIC COMMENTS SO FAR THROUGH THE MEDIA WERE SATISFACTORY THEY CONCENTRATED ON THE MAJOR DEFECTS IN THE PRESENT DRAFT. THE CHINESE WERE BEING PUT ON THE DEFENSIVE. THE HONG KONG BLDC DRAFTERS, INCLUDING MARIA TAM AND DOROTHY LIU, HAD FOUND IT NECESSARY TO CRITICIZE PUBLICLY ARTICLES 16 18. HE EXPECTED THAT THE CHINESE
WOULD REVISE THE DRAFT IN A FEW CRITICAL AREAS.
5. LEE ALSO TOLD TSANG HOW WELL HE WAS BEING SUPPORTED BY HIS
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