CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
14
057566
MDHIAN 9058
ние 060/1
SECTIVEN
O & MAY 1990
TO DESKBY 031145Z FCO
TELNO 1440
OF 031037Z MAY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PARIS, SINGAPORE
YOUR TELNO 899 (NOT TO ALL): AND SINGAPORE TELNO 7: GODDESS OF
DEMOCRACY
1.
DESPITE THE INFORMATION GIVEN BY THE FRENCH EMBASSY IN SINGAPORE TO THE EFFECT THAT THE GODDESS OF DEMOCRACY DOES NOT INTEND TO CALL IN HONG KONG BUT PLANS TO SAIL TO KEELUNG IN TAIWAN, BLANKET COVERAGE HAS BEEN GIVEN IN THE HONG KONG PRESS ON 3 MAY TO THE STATEMENT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON 2 MAY IN SINGAPORE BY THE FRENCH ORGANISER, CHRISTOPHE NICK, THAT THE VESSEL WILL APPLY TO ENTER HONG KONG.
2.
NO APPLICATION HAS SO FAR BEEN RECEIVED, BUT I SEE ADVANTAGE IN NOW MAKING OUR POSITION CLEAR. THE CHINESE ARE LIKELY TO SPEAK OUT STRONGLY AGAINST THE DECLARED INTENTION TO VISIT HONG KONG. IT IS BETTER THAT OUR VIEWS SHOULD BE CLEARLY ON RECORD BEFORE THEY DO SO. IN ANSWER TO PRESS QUESTIONING THIS AFTERNOON DURING AN OUTSIDE VISIT, I THEREFORE SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH THE SHIP HAD NOT YET APPLIED FOR PERMISSION, THE ORGANISERS HAD SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO SO. THIS DIVERSION FROM THE ROUTE TO TAIWAN WAS ODD AND APPEARED TO BE A SEARCH FOR PUBLICITY. I ADDED THAT QUOTE
IT HAS BEEN MADE QUITE CLEAR TO THE ORGANISERS FOR A VERY LONG TIME THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE WELCOME IN HONG KONG... . WE HAVE A POLICY HERE OF MAKING SURE THAT HONG KONG IS NOT USED AS A BATTLE FIELD FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S POLITICAL BATTLES. IT WOULD BE QUITE INCONSISTENT WITH THAT POLICY TO HAVE A SHIP OF THAT SORT COMING
INTO HONG KONG.
UNQUOTE
IN ANSWER TO A FURTHER QUESTION I SAID THAT IF THE VESSEL SOUGHT PERMISSION TO ENTER HONG KONG IT WOULD BE REFUSED.
3. FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION THE PROVISION OF HONG KONG LAW UNDER WHICH ENTRY TO THE VESSEL WOULD BE REFUSED IS SECTION 57 OF THE SHIPPING AND PORT CONTROL ORDINANCE. THIS ALLOWS THE GOVERNOR TO
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