TNAG-2769-FCO40-3986-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-interviews--press-briefings-and-the--1994 — Page 158

CONFIDENTIAL

073707 MDADAN 7079

ADVANCE COPY

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 22103OZ FCO

TELNO 1768

OF 220942Z NOVEMBER 93

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

PANORAMA PROGRAMME ON M16

1.

८

cc

نماها آنها

HE/FED Ihr Geten, inso)

Mr Larrer, NouiD.

じ

22/11

RTHK's Radio 3 programme, Hong Kong Today, gave prominence this morning to the reported content of Panorama's programme on the intelligence services. We understand that the programme is due to be shown this evening in the UK. The RTHK report referred in particular to the QUOTE revelations of Baroness Park, who has been dubbed Britain's Queen of Spies UNQUOTE. Full copy of the RTHK transcript follows by fax to Morris, HKD. But in brief the report states:

i) That Baroness Park's remarks represent the first officially sanctioned interview by a former M16 officer.

ii) That she QUOTE highlights the role of M16 getting information about the Chinese during talks on Hong Kong UNQUOTE.

iii) That she says that M16 has planted agents in many leading British companies in Hong Kong; and that it uses its informal contacts among businessmen to exchange important commercial information giving Britain obvious advantages over competitors.

2. We tried without success to raise the News Department Duty Officer this morning Hong Kong time in order to obtain a copy of the transcript of the Panorama programme. The Governor was due to make a speech at lunchtime at the Foreign Correspondents' Club and it seemed likely that questions might well be asked. In the event, they were not, but it will not be long before they are. We have managed to get a partial transcript (also being copied to you by fax) from our BBC contacts here. But we would be grateful if a full transcript could be faxed to us today please.

3.

One part of the script we have seen impinges directly on Hong Kong and China. We were surprised not to have been alerted to its contents earlier since we understand a transcript has been available in London. It reads as follows:

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