TNAG-1877-FCO40-2668-Student-demonstrations-and-internal-political-situation-in-C-1989 — Page 68

RESTRICTED

HKB 020/14

PA

19

137667

MDLIAN 4730

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1753

OF 30111OZ MAY 89

etwo

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING

INFO ROUTINE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO WASHINTON, HKGO NEW YORK INFO ROUTINE HKGO BRUSSELS, HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA, TOKYO INFO ROUTINE UKDEL NATO, EUROPEAN COMMUNITY POSTS

INFO SAVING HKGO SAN

FRANCISCO

STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN PEKING: PRESS COVERAGE

SUMMARY

1. THE MEDIA CONTINUED TO ACCORD PROMINENT COVERAGE TO THE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN PEKING AND THE SUPPORT ACTIONS TAKEN BY HK PEOPLE, BUT COVERAGE IN TODAY'S PAPERS WAS LESS EXTENSIVE.

REACTIONS IN HK

2. RECEIVING THE MOST PROMINENT AND EXTENSIVE COVERAGE IN THE MEDIA

WERE THE 12-HOUR MARATHON CONCERT FOR DEMOCRACY IN CHINA AT HAPPY VALLEY ON SATURDAY AND THE MASS PARADE ON SUNDAY IN RESPONSE TO THE PEKING STUDENTS' APPEAL FOR A WORLDWIDE MARCH BY CHINESE PEOPLE. ORGANISED BY THE ALL HK ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT OF THE CHINESE PATRIOTIC PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT, SATURDAY'S CONCERT ATTRACTED SOME 200,000 PEOPLE AND HAD RAISED MORE THAN HKD12 MILLION FOR THE STUDENT MOVEMENT IN CHINA.

3. THE MEDIA REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A RECORD TURNOUT OF QUOTE 1.5 MILLION UNQUOTE PEOPLE FOR SUNDAY'S MASS PARADE, WHICH WAS AGAIN ORGANISED BY THE ALL HK ALLIANCE. SOME REPORTS NOTED THAT DESPITE CHINESE INSTRUCTIONS TO ITS ORGANISATIONS NOT TO TAKE PART IN ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING THE STUDENT MOVEMENT, A NUMBER OF LEFT-WING GROUPS IN HK, INCLUDING 80 STAFF OF TA KUNG PAO, WEN WEI PO AND THE NEW EVENING POST, AS WELL AS REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL PRO-CHINA DEPARTMENT STORES, PARTICIPATED IN THE SEVEN-HOUR LONG MASS PARADE. A RESEARCHER OF THE LOCAL NCNA BRANCH, XU HAINING, WHO HAD GONE INTO HIDING BECAUSE OF FEARS OF BEING SPIED ON, TURNED UP AT SUNDAY'S PARADE.

4. OTHER GROUPS WHO ORGANISED ACTIVITIES ON SUNDAY TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR PEKING STUDENTS INCLUDED A MASS PRAY-IN BY 30,000 CATHOLICS, PROTEST MARCHES BY MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE IN VAROUS PARTS

1

PAGE

RESTRICTED