TNAG-2861-FCO40-4115-Expulsion-of-Han-Dongfang--Chinese-dissident--from-China-to--1993 — Page 40

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MDHIAN 38.0

4. ON 23 AUGUST THE ACTING GOVERNOR SIR DAVID FORD HAD LINKED THE AFFAIR WITH THE FUTURE FREEDOM OF ENTRY AND EXIT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE, AND HAD SAID THAT THE WAY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS HANDLING THE CASE HAD CAUSED CONCERN OVER WHETHER ENTRY AND EXIT WOULD BE GUARANTEED. ON 3 SEPTEMBER THE GOVERNOR HIMSELF HAD MADE SIMILAR REMARKS. THE COMPETENT CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO HANDLE THE HAN DONGFANG CASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. THIS AND THE FREEDOM OF ENTRY AND EXIT OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS AFTER 1997 WERE TOTALLY DIFFERENT IN NATURE.

5. THE FREEDOM OF ENTRY AND EXIT FOR HONG KONG RESIDENTS AFTER 1997 WAS CLEARLY STIPULATED IN THE BASIC LAW. BRITISH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THIS FACT BUT THEY HAD STILL MADE THE IRRESPONSIBLE REMARKS TO WHICH ZHAO HAD REFERRED. IT COULD NOT BUT LEAD PEOPLE TO THINK THAT THEY WERE BEING DELIBERATELY MISLEADING, AND WERE INCITING THE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO BE DISCONTENTED WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. HE HOPED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD RESTRAIN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SO IT WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO MAKE AN ISSUE OF THE HAN DONGFANG AFFAIR

THE OR MAKE STATEMENTS DIRECTED AGAINST THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE UNDER ANY PRETEXT TO USE HONG KONG AS A BRIDGEHEAD AGAINST CHINA. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD KEEP TO ITS COMMITMENTS IN THIS REGARD.

6.

I SAID I WOULD REPORT ZHAO'S APPROACH TO THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS. IN THE MEANTIME I WOULD MAKE A FEW PRELIMINARY COMMENTS ON A PERSONAL BASIS. FIRST I WAS QUITE ASTONISHED BY ZHAO'S FINAL REMARK THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT ALLOW HONG KONG TO BE USED AS A BRIDGEHEAD AGAINST THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. NEITHER THE BRITISH NOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS HAD HAD ANY WISH TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE HAN DONGFANG AFFAIR. WERE INVOLVED SOLELY BECAUSE HAN HAD BEEN UNCEREMONIOUSLY PUSHED ACROSS THE BORDER FROM SHENZHEN TO HONG KONG ON 14 AUGUST. THERE HAD BEEN NO WARNING FROM THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, AND HAN HAD HAD NO VISA FOR HONG KONG AND NO ONWARD TICKET.

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WE

ZHAO HAD SAID THAT THE HAN DONGFANG CASE WAS ENTIRELY A CHINESE INTERNAL AFFAIR. IF THAT WAS TRUE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE HANDLED THE MATTER IN A WAY WHICH INVOLVED HONG KONG. WE HAD TRIED TO HANDLE IT QUIETLY. THE POLITICAL ADVISER IN HONG KONG HAD RAISED IT WITH NCNA ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS. THE COUNSELLOR HAD DONE SO WITH WANG GUISHENG ON 18 AUGUST AND MR GOODLAD WITH AMBASSADOR MA ON 23 AUGUST. THERE HAD BEEN NO RESPONSE TO OUR REPRESENTATIONS HERE AND IN LONDON.

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