24 MAY
'89 23:54
FROM COI TECH RADIO
TRANSCRIPT K SELECT COMMITTEE ON HONG KONG
24 MAY 1989
20
PAGE.053/05E
CHAIRMAN;
But we nevertheless did gain an impression, more
than an impression, we were told directly in Hong Kong
that this system of assurances, aimed presumably at keeping civil servants at their posts as it were through
was not really achieving that potentially difficult times, alm and indeed there has been comment in the public press,
in the Guardian of Saturday 13 May 1989, from an allegedly
senior Hong Kong civil servant, saying that he for one
found this scheme as an attempt to keep him in Hong Kong
and it was clearly unsatisfactory and he used a number of
strong words in saying that.
If these assurances in this narrower area are not
working, as is our impression, do you think anything could
Minister be done, and I repeat that I would not wish you
in any way to go beyond what you would wish to say in
answering that question.
MRRENTON:
I think, as you kindly pointed out Ir Chairman, this
is a very difficult area. I have to say that in relation
to the Guardian article the official quoted says: "You do
not buy my loyalty by dangling a passport in front of my
nose". So one assumes that in that case, even 20
immediate offer of citizenship would not actually have
given any satisfaction to the un-named official quoted in
the recent Guardian article.
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