TNAG-2621-FCO40-3812-Visits-by-Alastair-Goodlad--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-an-1992 — Page 178

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TO DESKBY 12010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 768

OF 11120OZ MAY 92

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG, PEKING

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YOUR TELNOS 1233/4: VISIT BY MR GOODLAD

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14/5

1. MR GOODLAD WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE SUGGESTIONS IN TURS. IN GENERAL, HE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME TO ISSUES OF CURRENT CONCERN TO HONG KONG PEOPLE AND CORRESPONDINGLY LESS TIME TO BRIEFINGS AND

MEETINGS WITH POLITICIANS.

2. MR GOODLAD IS KEEN TO BE SEEN TO BE TAKING AN INTEREST IN ISSUES OF CURRENT CONCERN TO HONG KONG PEOPLE GENERALLY. HE THINKS THAT THIS COULD BE DONE THROUGH SHORT VISITS CHALF AN HOUR WOULD PROBABLY BE SUFFICIENT) WITH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THE PRESS. HE WOULD PARTICULARLY LIKE TO VISIT A VICTIM, OR THE SCENE, OF ONE OF THE RECENT VIOLENT CRIMES THAT HAVE ATTRACTED SO MUCH PRESS ATTENTION. HE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO PAY A VISIT TO A 'CARING' INSTITUTION SUCH AS A SCHOOL OR HOSPITAL. ALSO, HE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY IDEAS YOU MIGHT HAVE OF A RECENTLY COMPLETED, OR SOON TO BE COMPLETED, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT OF GENERAL PUBLIC INTEREST, E.G. IN THE TRANSPORT FIELD. THE MINISTER SEES WHITEHEAD AND TAI PO AS VISITS OF THIS SORT. HE WOULD PREFER TO KEEP THEM TO A MAXIMUM OF AN HOUR. MR GOODLAD IS WELL BRIEFED ON THE VIETNAMESE MIGRANT PROBLEM. HE BELIEVES THAT ANY SUPPLEMENTARY BRIEFING COULD TAKE PLACE ON THE WAY TO THE DETENTION CENTRE AND THAT THE IMPORTANT POINT IS TO BE SEEN TO BE TAKING AN INTEREST, TO BE LOOKING AROUND THE CENTRE ITSELF AND MEETING INMATES. HE HOPES THAT THE VISIT TO TAI PO COULD SIMILARLY CONCENTRATE ON MEETING PEOPLE. HE ALSO THINKS THAT THE

BRIEFING AND HELICOPTER TOUR OF CHEK LAP KOK CON WHICH HE IS AGAIN WELL BRIEFED) COULD BE REDUCED TO AN HOUR.

3. MR GOODLAD IS CONSCIOUS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MEETING LOCAL POLITICANS AND IS GENUINELY KEEN TO GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER. HE WILL, OF COURSE, BE SEEING SEVERAL OF THEM IN LONDON BEFORE HIS VISIT. HE ASSUMES THAT THE MEETINGS IN HONG KONG WILL BE LIMITED TO HALF AN HOUR EACH. HOWEVER, HE IS NOT MUCH ATTRACTED TO SUBMITTING HIMSELF TO OVER AN HOUR OF CROSS-EXAMINATION BY OMELCO. HE IS AWARE OF THE FORMAT THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR PREVIOUS MINISTERIAL VISITS. BUT HE IS STRONGLY INCLINED, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT HE WILL BY THEN

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