LONDON, June 23: Britain has secretly given political asylum to five Chinese dissidents who have recently been based in Hong Kong, according to one of the five cited in a London newspaper report.

The paper, Independent of Sunday, reported that the arrival in Britain of the three men and two women, plus two dependents, was kept confidential in a bid to avoid upsetting Chinese authorities ahead of the July 1 transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule.

It did not name any of the five or say when they arrived in Britain but said all were involved in the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China and one had been a student leader of the movement.

Troops killed hundreds of unarmed people near Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after the Chinese Government ordered a crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

The paper said the United States, Holland, Finland and other countries are known to have given political asylum to those fearing for their safety in Hong Kong after June 30. It quote appeals to Hong Kong and British authorities for help last year. This was after it became clear the Chinese Government and the incoming provisional legislature in Hong Kong would not let them stay in Hong Kong after June 30, it said.

The paper said it was thought if they had remained in Hong Kong they would have been sent back to China to face discrimination and possible imprisonment because of their activities.

The paper quoted the interviewee as saying he had decided to speak out because he now had friends and colleagues in Hong Kong who were in possible danger from Chinese authorities and were seeking asylum. It quoted him as saying they included activists who had recently fled to Hong Kong.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.