TNAG-2605-FCO40-3793-Detention-of-Hong-Kong-residents-in-China-1992 — Page 105

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44

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

HICD 05/1

ADVANCE COPY

TO DESKBY 010730Z F C O

TELNO 616

OF 010455Z MAY 92

AND TO DESKBY 01060OZ HONG KONG, B T C HONG KONG

147724

MDADAN 8252

p.a. N Bate

28

M for m

You

are

going to have

Са

HONG KONG FOR POLAD

42

OUR TELNO 615: DETENTION OF MR BOB PARRY MP

SUMMARY

1

I

ZERO

COOPERATION FROM CHINA ON INFORMATION OR ACCESS TO MR PARRY. BRITISH JOURNALIST ALSO RELEASED AFTER QUESTIONING. PARRY LEAVES FOR HONG KONG (11.5OZ) AT 07.50 LOCAL TIME.

DETAIL

MR

2. EFFORTS ON 30 APRIL BY COUNSELLOR AND FIRST SECRETARY/CONSUL TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM OFFICIAL CHINESE SOURCES WERE ALMOST A COMPLETE EXERCISE IN FUTILITY. A SECOND VISIT TO THE POLICE STATION IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY PRODUCED ONLY THE INFORMATION THAT THE GROUP HAD LEFT TO HAVE A MEAL AT 2000 HOURS, ESCORTED BY AN OFFICIAL FROM THE MFA. REPEATED CALLS TO THE DUTY OFFICER IN THE WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT TO PRESS FOR AN URGENT CALL ON JIANG ENZHU ONLY PRODUCED THE DESPARATE MANTRA ''ITS THE EVE OF A HOLIDAY I CAN'T GET IN TOUCH (LIANXI BU SHANG). COULD HAVE BEEN TRUE OR JUST PART OF THE GENERAL RUN AROUND.)

(COMMENT THIS

3 MOST OF OUR INFORMATION COMES FROM JAMES MILES, THE BBC CORRESPONDENT INITIALLY DETAINED WITH THE GROUP, THEN HELD SEPARATELY AND RELEASED AFTER 5 AND A HALF HOURS INTERROGATION. ACCORDING TO JAMES THE GROUP OF 7 CA HUNGARIAN ASSOCIATED WITH THE GROUP WAS NOT PŘESENT ON THE SQUARE) UNFURLED 3 BANNERS CALLING FOR FREE TRADE UNIONS, DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS. THEY WERE SOON BUNDLED OFF THE SQUARE BY 30-40 POLICEMEN. THE GROUP THEN SAT DOWN ON THE STEPS OF THE MUSEUM OF REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY BEFORE BEING PERSUADED WITH A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF PUSHING AND SHOVING TO BOARD A BUS WHICH WAS THEN DRIVEN INTO THE FORBIDDEN CITY. FORBIDDEN CITY AFTER QUESTIONING FOR A MEAL ACCOMPANIED BY AN MFA THEY LEFT THE

OFFICIAL AND WERE THEN TAKEN TO THE CAPITAL AIRPORT HOTEL. WAS ASKED WHY HE WAS COVERING AN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, WAS VIDEOTAPED,

MILES

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL

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