TNAG-2233-FCO40-3206-Visits-by-the-Office-of-Members-of-the-Executive-and-Legisla-1991 — Page 27

Mr. Paul, HKD

PERSONAL

Hats 027/2

DEK-E

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SW1 2AH

10 July 1991

File: HICD

2

Mrs Rita Fan OBE JP

OMELCO

Legislative Council Building

8 Jackson Road

Central

HONG KONG

Deer Rita,

ED

ツク

With all the recent burst of activity over the airport, I realise that I have not done as I intended and written to you about your visit to London to talk about the problems of Vietnamese Boat People.

In particular, I only learned after you had left that you and your team felt really rather upset that you had not been able to talk to me about the negotiations in Washington. I want to say how sorry I am that there was confusion about your meeting with me although, of course, I was glad to take part in your meeting with the Secretary of State.

-

I cannot think how the confusion arose. The fact was that I had a very long-standing commitment to take my wife to the Glyndebourne Opera, which, as you may know, involves leaving the office at lunchtime. This was by way of a birthday treat and something organised and paid for back at the beginning of the year and clearly marked in my diary. So you can see that I really do not understand how you came to be misled. Having said that, I do apologise to you and would like to assure you that there was no intention on any of our parts to treat you and your team in a cavalier fashion. know how important the subject of the boat people is.

Again, my apologies, and I do hope that we can get together when I come out to Hong Kong at the end of the month. Perhaps by then I shall have something more constructive to tell you.

I

You merely

سامنا

ousاه سالار

RA Burns

A27AAN