Saturday May 15 1999
Seven on 'MI6 spy list' linked to Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region of China)
NIALL FRASER
A highly sensitive list of alleged agents working
for British spy agency MI6 which has been
published on the Internet contains the names
of seven people said to have lived and worked
in Hong Kong into the 1990s.
Investigations by the South China Morning
Post have established at least three of those
named - John Henry Cary Gerson, Colin
Douglas Partridge and Rosalind Mary
Elizabeth Fowler - were connected to, or spent
time in Hong Kong working for, the UK
Government.
Four others whom the list said had been
posted to the SAR could not be traced. The list
says the agents worked in Hong Kong between
1969 and 1994, although there was nothing to
suggest any still lived in the SAR.
Mr Gerson took over as Britain's top military
intelligence officer in the territory in 1987, Ms
Fowler was a second secretary at the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office for a short time
from 1990 and Mr Partridge was the British
Embassy's First Secretary in Vietnam and
handled repatriation of Vietnamese boat people
from the territory in 1989.
The British secret intelligence service has
mounted a wide-scale security operation to
protect dozens of agents after publication of
the list.
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has said
"not all the names" on the list were connected
with MI6.
But he added: "Nevertheless the release of any
such list, however inaccurate it may be, is a
deeply irresponsible and dangerous act."
Reports say the list was posted by disgruntled
ex-MI6 officer Richard Tomlinson, 37, a
Cambridge University graduate living in exile in
Geneva after serving a six-month sentence for
breaching Britain's Official Secrets Act. The
list of 117 names first appeared on Thursday
on at least one US-based Web site.
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My letter published in the HK Standard - April 26, 1997
To: editor at hkstandard.com From: "Henry C.K. Liu" <hhu at rnindspring.com> Subject: MI6 activities in Hong Kong
The London Sunday Times carried a story (April 20, 1997) by its Washington correspondent, James Adams, with the headfine: MI6 digs its spies into Hong Kong to pass on Chinese whispers. The article detailed past, current and future British espionage programs in Hong Kong, in cooperation with U.S. inteflegence operations. The most disturbing part of the report stated: "To ensure continued intelligence from Hong Kong (after 1997), GCHQ and MI6 have established extensive "stay behind" networks that include agents and bugs embedded in computers and buildings that will continue to feed back intercepted messages for many years". It went on to claim that MI6 and GCHQ "will retain a presence" in the new high-security British consulate. The story was picked up by Ta Kung Pao (April 26, 1997 , Chinese language newspaper). Governor Patten, whose authority on political and security affairs in Hong Kong is absolute and is not subject to legislative oversight, thus implying commersurate responsibility, owes the people in Hong Kong an official explanation on this serious matter. Espionage activities are acts of war. A legitimate question must be put to Governor Patten, who professes to treasure civil liberties for Hong Kong, whether by permitting such illegal and hostile activities against China during his tenure, and allowing "stay behind" agents and computer bugs to be established beyond 1997, he is helping his puported objective of convincing China that national security is not an issue in Hong Kong after 1997. Is Governor's Patten's verbal promotion for the safeguard of civil liberties in Hong Kong credible in view of his duplicity to poison the peaceful, politically-benign atmosphere of Hong Kong not only during his rule, but beyond 1997? Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa is being diplomatic when he said that regarding concerns for civil liberties, a balance must be maintained between individual freedom and community interests. Mr. Tung's real message is that because of the type of anti-China activities reported by the the London Sunday Times, if not promoted at least condoned by Governor Patten, the innocent people in Hong Kong will suffer more curbs on their civil liberties than otherwise neccessary. Both Governor Patten and Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in their separate capacities, have as paramount responsibility the enhancement of both freedom and security in Hong Kong. Mr. Tung has met his responsibility by courageously seeking a proper balance. Governor Patten owes the people in Hong Kong an immediate explanation on his efforts to meet his.
Henry C.K. Liu New York