TNAG-2615-FCO40-3806-Views-of-Lee-Kuan-Yew--former-Prime-Minister-of-Singapore--o-1992 — Page 43

CONFIDENTIAL

177171

MDHOAN 6265

TOP COPY Q DIST?

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE TOKYO

TELNO 675

OF 181628Z DEC 92

AND TO IMMEDIATE ASEAN POSTS, SEOUL, HANOI

جير

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, CANBERRA INFO IMMEDIATE WELLINGTON, WASHINGTON

6

HONG KONG TELNO 2915 : LEE KUAN YEW'S VIEWS ON HONG KONG AND CHINA

1.

WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF ACTION ADDRESSEES WOULD SEEK A SUITABLE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE WITH HOST GOVERNMENTS OUR POSITION ON LEE KUAN YEW'S STATEMENT ON DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG IN ORDER TO PREVENT LEE KUAN YEW'S CONSPIRACY THEORIES FROM TAKING ROOT IN THE MINDS OF HOST GOVERNMENTS. WE IMAGINE THAT SOME WILL BE SYMPATHETIC. PLEASE DRAW ON THE POINTS IN OUR TELNO 273 TO SINGAPORE AND IN ADDITION STRESS THAT:

-

THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS WERE FORMULATED IN THE

LIGHT OF HIS DISCUSSIONS DURING HIS FIRST TWO MONTHS IN HONG KONG. THEY REFLECTED HIS ASSESSMENT OF WHAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WANTED.

-MINISTERS IN LONDON WERE OF COURSE INFORMED OF THE GOVERNOR'S CONCLUSIONS AND GAVE THEIR FULL SUPPORT. THERE WAS NO PRIOR CONSULTATION WITH ANY WESTERN GOVERNMENT ABOUT THESE PROPOSALS BEFORE THEY WERE ANNOUNCED. ANY SUGGESTION THAT THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS ARE SOMEHOW DIRECTED AT CHINA RATHER THAN WITH REFERENCE TO HONG KONG'S WISHES IS FANCIFUL AND FALSE. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HOLDS TO THE CONCEPT OF ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS AND BELIEVES THAT IT MEANS WHAT IT SAYS.

2. WASHINGTON, CANBERRA AND WELLINGTON HAVE DISCRETION TO RAISE THIS WITH ANY THEY THINK MIGHT BE INCLINED TO BELIEVE THIS SORT OF CONSPIRACY THEORY.

HURD

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