TNAG-1883-FCO40-2674-Visits-by-Lord-Glenarthur--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-1989 — Page 84

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HKB 026/1

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FM HONG KONG

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 142

OF 12090OZ JANUARY 89

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

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160415

MDLIAN 7924

DIST 7

FOLLOWING ARE MEDIA COVERAGE AND COMMENTS ON THE PRESS CONFERENCE BY LORD GLENARTHUR HELD ON JULY 11 1989:

COVERAGE

Jamary.

A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE FCO MINISTER WITH RESPONSIBLITY FOR

HK, LORD GLENARTHUR, BEFORE CONCLUDING HIS FIVE-DAY VISIT TO THE TERRITORY, YESTERDAY WAS ACCORDED GOOD COVERAGE IN THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND THE ENGLISH PRESS, AND PROMINENT NEWS AND PICTORIAL COVERAGE IN THE CHINESE PRESS.

REMARKS MADE BY LORD GLENARTHUR DURING THE PRESS CONFERENCE WERE CARRIED AS THE FRONT PAGE LEAD IN CHING PO AND THE HK TIMES. THE

BACK PAGE LEAD IN THE HK COMMERCIAL DAILY AND THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL

AND AS INSIDE PAGE LEAD IN A NUMBER OF OTHER PAPERS, INCLUDING SING TAO JIH PAO, WEN WEI PO, WAH KIU YAT PO AND THE HK DAILY NEWS.

BOTH THE ENGLISH AND THE CHINESE MEDIA GENERALLY PLAYED UP THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO PROVIDE A TOTAL OF HKD 15 MILLION FOR THE UNHCR TO FINANCE PLANS FOR REPATRIATING VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE

AND THE HANDLING OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HK.

ACCORDING TO A PROMINENT REPORT IN THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, LORD GLENARTHUR, COMMENTING ON OMELCO MEMBER'S REQUEST FOR A THREE-YEAR PLAN TO SOLVE THE REFUGEE PROBLEM, SAID WHETHER THE IDEA WAS REALISTIC WOULD DEPEND VERY MUCH ON THE PROGRESS MADE ON THE REPATRIATION AND RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES.

THE HK STANDARD QUOTED LORD GLENARTHUR AS SAYING THAT BRITAIN WAS COMMITTED TO DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO HELP HK COPE WITH THE

LONG-STANDING VIETNAMESE PROBLEM.

MEDIA REPORTS NOTED THAT LORD GLENARTHUR HAD REITERATED THAT THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT ACCEPTA LLL THE VRS IN HK.

LORD GLENARTHUR STRESSED THAT BRITAIN HAD NOT BEEN EVASIVE IN THE HANDLING OF THE VR QUESTION IN HK, ADDING THAT BRITAIN HAD LAUNCHED

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