TNAG-2663-FCO40-3859-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General.-With-photogra-1992 — Page 5

Ref: ADM 284/1

22 December 1992

المئة لين

M Man!! Mis Bands Jones fi.

лоз

s/i

6/1.

Ma.

Mr Rod Bunten

HKD

FCO

London

HKD 406/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

1993

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Takem

223

British

Trade Commission

Hong Kong

9th Floor, Bank of America Tower, 12 Harcourt Road, Hong Kong

Mail Address: GPO Box No 528, Hong Kong

E

Telephone: 523 0176

Telex: HX 73031 (a/b 73031 UKTRA HX) Facsimile: (852) 845 2870 Cable Address: UK TRADE, Hong Kong

Dear Rod

ZB

CLOSURE OF THE MOD CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL.

I thought you might like to see the enclosed press cuttings.

The first one, about the closure of the MOD CLS, is remarkable for its number of inaccuracies. The writer spoke to both Chris Osbourne and me, but this was done around ten days before the article appeared. Two points in this article which I should like to clear up are:

i) The short Cantonese courses for new arrivals are

not taught by MOD CLS, but rather by 75 Army Education Corps. These courses will continue. Though priority is given to military staff who want to attend, FCO staff can join when there are spare places.

ii) We did not say that "Cantonese is also taught to

FCO staff in London before they fly out to BTC in Hong Kong". I told the writer that an increasing number of staff here take private Cantonese lessons, and that I expected we would be

re-examining our Cantonese tuition nearer to 1997.

I have included the other press cuttings to illustrate how firmly Cantonese remains the language of Guangdong. Cantonese is likely to be even more tenacious in Hong Kong.

With the closure of the MOD CLS, we have lost our local reference point for Chinese Language tuition, and are dependent on the few private teachers we already know.

Yours

Rosie

R ME Fowler (Ms)

Language Officer

CC John

hoove,

DSLC FLO

Every effort is made to ensure that the information given herein is accurate, but no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or misleading statements in that information caused by negligence or otherwise and no responsibility is accepted in regard to the standing of any firms, companies or

individuals mentioned,