TNAG-2073-FCO40-2952-Hong-Kong-Town-Planning-(Amendment)-Bill-1990-1990 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

に

172533

MDHIAN 3179

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 07120OZ FCO

TELNO 3655

OF 070956Z DECEMBER 90

AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

10

OP COPY PRESS Q'DIST?

36730

YRTELNO 2329: NCNA STATEMENT ON TOWN PLANNING CAMENDMENT) BILL

1990

1. WE HAVE INDEED CONSIDERED WHETHER OR NOT TO TAKE THIS FURTHER

AND REGISTER OUR CONCERN IN PEKING. THE EXCHANGE REPORTED IN OUR TELNO 3634 REVEALED CLEARLY THE LACK OF JUSTIFICATION ON THE CHINESE SIDE. WE ARE VERY KEEN THAT NO PRECEDENT SHOULD BE SET BY DEFAULT AND THEREFORE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A GOOD CASE FOR DRIVING HOME THE POINT. OFFICIALS IN PEKING WILL BE OBLIGED TO SUPPORT THE NCNA. BUT THE OBJECT IS LESS TO FORCE THEM TO RETRACT IN THIS INSTANCE THAN TO PUT DOWN A CLEAR WARNING THAT THIS BEHAVIOUR SHOULD NOT BE REPEATED. SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS, WE SHOULD THEREFORE BE GRATEFUL IF PEKING WOULD REPEAT THE MESSAGE WHICH WE HAVE GIVEN TO NCNA. A SUGGESTED SPEAKING NOTE, WHICH FOLLOWS THAT USED BY EHRMAN, IS BEING FAXED TO YOU AND TO PEKING.

2. THE NCNA STATEMENT IS RECEIVING BLANKET NEWS COVERAGE HERE, ALMOST ALL OF IT CRITICAL OF CHINA. A REPORT IN TODAY'S SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST SAYS THAT THE SPOKESMAN OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK

SAID THE SUBJECT WAS RAISED AT A MEETING WITH CHEN ZUO'ER OF THE STATE COUNCIL HKMAO DURING THE LATTER'S RECENT VISIT HERE. THE SAME ARTICLE ALSO NOTES THAT LAU WONG-FAT, CHAIRMAN OF THE KUK, HAD A SESSION WITH GUO FENGMIN. THAT THIS KIND OF ACTION SHOULD FOLLOW FROM LOBBYING AT SUCH MEETINGS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

3. WE WILL ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT TO SAY PUBLICLY IF ASKED WHAT THE HKG HAVE SAID TO NCNA ABOUT THE MATTER. WE BELIEVE A RESPONSE IS NECESSARY WHICH MAKES CLEAR THE TWO MAIN POINTS WHICH WE PUT TO NCNA, IN ORDER TO CONVINCE THE PUBLIC THAT WE HAVE NOT TAKEN THIS INCIDENT LYING DOWN. WE THEREFORE PROPOSE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE EXPRESSED TO THE NCNA OUR SURPRISE AT THEIR STATEMENT AND OUR REGRET AT THIS ATTEMPT TO INTERFERE IN OUR ADMINISTRATION.

FORD

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