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MDHIAN 8458
HKA 233/1
Q DIST?
Pu
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 271200Z FCO
TELNO 911
OF 27095OZ MARCH 92
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG
PERSONAL FOR RICKETTS, HKD FROM GOVERNOR.
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YOUR TELNO 557: HMOCS ASSOCIATION: LETTER FROM LORD CAITHNESS.
1. TO AMEND THE LETTER AS YOU PROPOSE COULD IMPLY, TO THOSE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE BACKGROUND, THAT THE COMPENSATION SCHEME IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING DONE FOR HMOCS OFFICERS IN HONG KONG ALONE. IT IS LIKELY THAT NEWS OF THE SCHEME WILL LEAK AND ATTRACT MEDIA ATTENTION. TO RESPOND TO THIS, IT IS IMPORTANT IN THE LOCAL POLITICAL CONTEXT THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REFER TO THE HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS AND MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING UNIQUE TO HONG KONG.
2. OUR VIEW ON THIS HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED BY THE FACT THAT THE HONG KONG STANDARD HAS PICKED UP NEWS OF THE HMOCS ASSOCIATION MEETING YESTERDAY (26 MARCH). IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS, OSBORNE HAS CONFIRMED THAT LORD CAITHNESS HAS WRITTEN TO CARTLAND, AND HAS REFERRED TO THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HMOCS AND THE PRECEDENTS IN OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. SO THESE WILL IN ANY CASE BE IN THE PUBLIC ARENA VERY SOON.
3. ALL THAT SAID, WE WOULD BE CONTENT WITH A MORE LOW-KEY FORMULATION THAN THAT SUGGESTED IN MY TELNO 901. WE HOPE THAT YOU COULD ACCEPT THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF SCS'S LETTER BEING WORDED ALONG THE FOLLOWING LINES:
! t 'I AM WRITING TO INFORM YOU OF PROGRESS ON ISSUES OF CONCERN TO HMOCS MEMBER IN HONG KONG. IN ACCORDANCE WITH HISTORICAL PRACTICE AND PRECEDENT, HMG INTENDS TO INTRODUCE COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF HMOCS SERVING IN HONG KONG WHEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S AUTHORITY OVER THEM CEASES IN 1997''.
4. SCS ALSO INTENDS TO ISSUE A PERSONAL IN CONFIDENCE LETTER TO ALL SECRETARIES AND HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS TO INFORM THEM OF WHAT
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