TNAG-2789-FCO40-4028-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1993 — Page 49

110953Z

REF MR HUM FOR DIST

LNMDA 7699 HMLNAN 2769

RESTA TED

DD 7083OZ FCOLN

FM HOKON TO FCOLN

10220OZ MAY GRS 208

RESTRICTED

STAFF IN CONFIDENCE

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 110830Z FCO

TELNO 723

OF 10220OZ MAY 93

INFO DESKBY 11083OZ PEKING

MR RICKETTS,ME

INFO DESKBY 11120OZ UKMIS NEW YORK

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG

K STUMP

FCO PERSONAL FOR HUM, AUSS, RICKETTS, HKD, MAKEPEACE, PMD, AND STUMP, PSD

PEKING PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR

UKMIS NEW YORK PERSONAL FOR PEIRCE

MIPT: CHANGE OF POLITICAL ADVISER

1. TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE TO BE ISSUED AT 5.00 PM HONG KONG TIME ON 12 MAY:

BEGINS:

MR ROBERT PEIRCE HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO TAKE OVER THE POST OF POLITICAL ADVISER IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THIS SUMMER FROM MR WILLIAM EHRMAN, WHO WILL BE RETURNING TO THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TO TAKE UP ANOTHER POST.

MR EHRMAN WILL LEAVE HONG KONG IN JULY AND MR PEIRCE WILL ARRIVE IN MID-AUGUST.

MR PEIRCE (AGED 38) IS AT PRESENT FIRST SECRETARY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS IN NEW YORK. HE STUDIED CHINESE (PUTONGHUA) IN HONG KONG IN THE LATE 1970S, SERVED AS SECOND AND LATER FIRST SECRETARY IN PEKING FROM 1980 TO 1983, AS DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FROM 1986 TO 1988, AND AS ASSISTANT PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE FOREIGN SECRETARY FROM 1988 UNTIL HE TOOK UP HIS PRESENT POST IN 1990. HE IS MARRIED WITH TWO CHILDREN. A FULL C.V. IS ATTACHED.

PATTEN

YYYY

HMLNAN 2769