t
SECRET
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
(The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Cypher
D. 12th May, 1967. R. 12th
#
#1
0825Z
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
FLASH SECRET No. 589
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
Addressed to Commonwealth Office. Repeated FLASH to Peking, No. 207.
#
IMMEDIATE to POLAD Singapore, No. 74
(S. of S. please pass to both).
Net a
ان انواع
1?
7/17
Your telegram 894. see
Disturbances in Hong Kong.
G
All available information suggests that the disturbances at the artificial flower works on 6th May were not planned in advance by the Rubber and Plastic Workers' Union nor by any other organisation. The rank and file had been encouraged to develop a "struggle" against the management, and what started as peaceful picketing degenerated into violence.
20
I do not believe that the Hong Kong Left wing leadership were at that stage looking for a confrontation with Government. But with the arrests of the workers the dispute became a "political struggle"; and it now appears that the leadership have little alternative but to exert all-out pressure on the Hong Kong Government to accept the demands
paragraph 2 of my telegram No. 557) which have been made in the style of Macao. The Left wing press today publishes a further demand, that Government apologise to the arrested workers; and no doubt more demands are likely to be added.
3. There were some indications that the Left wing had been trying, at least until yesterday, to restrict the "struggle" to the places where disputes were actually taking place, notably the cement and the artificial flower works. No sympathetic strike action has yet taken place. However, the leadership have clearly had difficulty in keeping the rank and file under control; and these difficulties are now likely to be increased. Until the Left wing leaders achieve some success which will prove the power of the thoughts of Mao Tse Tung and will also prove that they themselves are loyal followers of the cultural revolution, the "struggle" is likely to be intensified.
SECRET
14.
PA