TNAG-2605-FCO40-3793-Detention-of-Hong-Kong-residents-in-China-1992 — Page 97

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELNO 622

OF 050001Z MAY 92

CONFIDENTIAL

هم

HKD 015/1

RECEIVE

© 5 MAY 1992

ADVANCE COPY

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, B T C HỒNG

46

45

ISTY

128

155042

MDADAN 8613

Mr Cox

ми

heep.

Mr Stantia

YOUR TELNO 364 AND HONG KONG TELNO 1191:

DETENTION OF MR BOB PARRY MP

1.

I SAW VICE-MINISTER JIANG ENZHU AT A BANQUET (FOR THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CCPIT) ON 2 MAY. JIANG SAID THAT HE HAD HEARD

THAT I HAD ASKED FOR AN URGENT MEETING WITH HIM ON THE EVENING OF

30 APRIL. UNFORTUNATELY HE HAD BEEN ATTENDING A DINNER FOR THE VISITING DUTCH MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS THAT EVENING AND WAS

THUS NOT AVAILABLE. I ASKED WHETHER HE HAD HAD A REPORT OF MY CALL

ON SONG MINGJIANG THAT MORNING. HE SAID THAT HE HAD. I REPEATED THAT OUR MAIN CONCERNS HAD BEEN LACK OF INFORMATION AND LACK OF

ACCESS. JIANG CLAIMED THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAD BEEN

UNSIGHTED: THEY HAD HAD NO ADVANCE WARNING OF THE VISIT BY THE

VARIOUS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS SINCE THEY HAD ENTERED ON TOURIST VISAS. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE HOPED THAT IN FUTURE WE WOULD

TAKE STEPS TO BRIEF VISITING PARLIAMENTARIANS ABOUT THE NEED TO

RESPECT CHINESE LAWS WHEN THEY VISITED CHINA. I SAID THAT JIANG HAD SERVED IN BRITAIN AND KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE IMPRACTICABLE, AND PROBABLY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE IF WE WERE TO TRY IT. I HOPED THAT

THE MINISTRY WOULD TRY TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE SECURITY AUTHORITIES

TO TREAT FOREIGN MPS MORE SENSITIVELY. THE WAY THEY HAD HANDLED

THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT BE HELPFUL TO CHINA'S REPUTATION ABROAD.

2.

THE MINISTER LUNCHED ON 4 MAY WITH JAMES MILES, THE BBC'S PEKING CORRESPONDENT, AND FOUND HIM REASONABLY CHEERFUL ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES. MILES, ALONG WITH TWO GERMAN JOURNALISTS, WAS DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING FOR FIVE HOURS AT THE SAME LOCATION AS

THE DEMONSTRATORS BUT IN SEPARATE QUARTERS. THE INTERROGATORS'

MAIN CONCERN WAS FIRST TO ESTABLISH THE IDENTITIES OF THE

JOURNALISTS (ABOUT WHICH MILES HAD TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES BECAUSE

HE DID NOT HAVE HIS PRESS CARD AVAILABLE): SECOND TO READ THEM A LECTURE ABOUT THEIR UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR IN SEEKING TO REPORT 'UNLAWFUL' ACTIVITIES: THIRDLY, TO TAKE AWAY THEIR TAPES. MILES COMMENTED THAT, ALTHOUGH SPOKEN TO STERNLY IN THE EARLY STAGES, HE HAD FOUND THE ATMOSPHERE UNTHREATENING AND, LATER ON, EVEN FRIENDLY. IN THE SQUARE, THE POLICE HAD USED NO MAIN FORCE.

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