TNAG-2687-FCO40-3889-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-poli-1993 — Page 29

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FMENT HOUSE PUNG ·

FRI 20 HPF 33 09:12

CONFIDENTIAL & MERSUNAL

THE ASSOCIATION OF MEMBERS OF HER MAJESTY' 3 OVERBEAD CIVIL SERVICE IN HONG KONG

31st Floor Revenue Tower

5 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Mr M JC Waless

Civil Service Branch

Guvernment Cecretariat HONG KONG

Dear Mike,

HMOCS Arrangements

28 April 1993

56.04

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further forward. believe for months be expected Eoon.

membership

afraid your letter of 22 April 1993 takes us As you know, we have been led to that a decision was imminent and could T Committee's credibility with the is now beginning to wear extremely thin. The text of your letter docs nothing to help us counter the arguments of the growing number of members who are coming to believe that we are just being strung along and that HMG 1 S preparing to aut dishonourably, Why else would the Prime

himself have been unable To endorse a straightforward packaac in accordance with clearly established practice 60t oul ja British Government policy documento published in the fifties and sixties and honoured in flity or so other dependent territories?

recent visit to London the

Before the GovernoT Committee had advised the membership, as YOU WHIE well aware at the time, that we had been given to understand that a decision from London was imminent and that we hoped 1.0 be able to call a general meeting to consider the expected proposal probably before the end of April. It is ΠΟΥ clear trom your letter that a decision has not been taken and We Ô! not even have a time frame for one. The Commille is now likely to be pushed into holding a gencrai meeljny sometime in May and if that happens without a proposal from London on The table. members' patience is likely

Enap. This could result in a much more activist and aggressive committee that would pursue the subject through all possible channels in UK regardless of the undesirable publicity thai What might generate for the administration in Huny Kong. Once the genie is out of the bottle it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to act it back in again.

01

CONFIDENTIAL

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