TNAG-2605-FCO40-3793-Detention-of-Hong-Kong-residents-in-China-1992 — Page 6

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FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELNO 941

OF 27163OZ NOV 92

AND TO IMMEDIATE SHANGHAI

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had Howe's visit > chiva pa 30/μ no

90 113622

MDHOAN 4951

SHANGHAI TELNO 43 AND YOUR TELNO 1657: LORD HOWE'S VISIT: POSSIBLE PRISON VISIT TO BRITISH NATIONALS

1.

We agree that it will be sensible to plan on using the visit to Shanghai prison in part to carry out a short visit/meeting with the 4 British prisoners. We are grateful for the

information provided by Shanghai which we shall draw to Lord Howe's attention.

2. Shanghai and you will want to liaise with PIFA and presumably the prison authorities to ensure a suitable arrangement. A difficulty will be to ensure that these meeting(s) do not take up an excessive amount of the time of the Mission while at the prison. Subject to discussion with the delegation on arrival, we suggest that the delegation will need to be split at this point. Provided at least one of the MPs can be reported as having met British prisoners and discussed their treatment, the media handling should be manageable. You will need to bear in mind, will the delegation, that such contact with the British prisoners has nothing to do with the main purpose of the visit. We have never suggested that Chinese handling of these cases has been anything to with human rights.

HURD

as

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

40

FED

NEWS D

CONSULAR D

HKD

HRPU

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HKD as /1

DISTRIBUTION

40

PS

PS/MR GOODLAD

SIR J COLES

MR HUM

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