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p.a. Political To Party5264 135464
MDHIAN 1788
Mits onts
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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 1157
OF 28070OZ APRIL 92
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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO LONDON
APPOINTMENT OF NEXT GOVERNOR: MEDIA COVERAGE AND LOCAL REACTION (28 APRIL)
SUMMARY
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT GOVERNOR AND RELATED ISSUES ON 28 APRIL REMAINED PROMINENT BUT LESS EXTENSIVE. FOCUS OF ATTENTION HAD MOVED FROM THE APPOINTMENT ITSELF TO ISSUES FACING MR PATTEN WHEN HE BECAME GOVERNOR IN JULY. LOCAL REACTION CONTINUED TO BE GENERALLY POSITIVE BUT ONE LEGCO MEMBER EXPRESSED A DIFFERENT VIEW.
DETAIL
2.
TODAY'S MEDIA CONTINUED TO GIVE PROMINENT TREATMENT TO REPORTS ON THIS SUBJECT ALTHOUGH SOME PAPERS NO LONGER CARRIED SUCH STORIES ON THEIR FRONT PAGE. OTHER PAPERS (E.G. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST) HAD REDUCED THEIR COVERAGE SIGNIFICANTLY.
3. TODAY'S FOCUS WAS THE MEETING BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND MR PATTEN IN LONDON. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST SAID THE GOVERNOR HAD GIVEN A BROAD BRUSH OVERVIEW ON KEY TOPICS INCLUDING RELATIONS WITH CHINA, THE PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION, THE AIRPORT PROJECT, AND HONG KONG TRADE WITH GUANGDONG. THE STANDARD SAID MR PATTEN HAD QUERIES WHETHER CALLS FOR GREATER DEMOCRACY REALLY REPRESENTED A GROUND-SWELL OF PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG. ACCORDING TO THE PAPER, THE GOVERNOR HAD SAID THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE QUESTION. THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS SAID THE MEETING HAD DISCUSSED THREE PROBLEMS: WHETHER THE LIBERALS WOULD BE APPOINTED TO EXCO, CHINA'S INTERFERENCE WITH THE BUSINESS OF HKG, RESHUFFLES OF POLICY
BRANCH SECRETARIES.
4 ALSO REPORTED WERE PLANS BY THE TWO MAIN POLITICAL GROUPS ON LEGCO TO SEND DELEGATIONS TO LONDON. THE PAPERS SAID THE COOPERATIVE RESOURCES CENTRE WOULD SEND ALLEN LEE, SELINA CHOW, RONALD ARCULLI AND PETER WONG AT AROUND THE END OF MAY. THEY WOULD PUT ACROSS VIEWS
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