17 JUNE 1989, Page 23

Sir: Your editorial on Hong Kong express- es very eloquently

the feelings of many Britons. Doing what you advocate does depend on engaging the sympathy of this country's residents. The present treatment of Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong, as chronicled by William Shawcross (3 June), does not help. There are close parallels. The Vietnamese were aban- doned by the western democracies to the tender mercies of their Communist coun- trymen after many years of serving the interests of the West.

The issue about ownership of the New Territories is irrelevant to the moral obligations to Hong Kong people. Only in a feudal society does ownership of land imply power over the serfs who come with the land.

Peter J. Boyes

Flat 31, 8 Durward Court, Glasgow