SECRET √..C.
meeting
HONG KONG
Draft. for normal
46167.
188 A
Situation in Hong Kong
20
Since the Hong Kong Government took firm action
against demonstrations and public meetings the situation
there has been much quieter. For the last few days there
have only been sporadic strikes usually of short duration.
There have been indications that the pro-communist
temporarily leadership has been disconcerted and disrupted by the fail-
ure of their confrontation with the Government, and in
particular by their inability to win public support for
their objectives.
action they intend to take in the future. It appears that
they are conducting a mr re-examination of their policy
and are possibly waiting for instructions from Peking. In
the meantime, there are signs that they intend to carry
out a long term struggle" against the Hong Kong authorities
and are developing this by organising token stoppages in
including public tramport,
It is not yet possible to say what
also
the public utilities to demonstrate their power and in an attempt to maintain the morale of their own supporters. They may be planning to spread stoppages of work to civilians Employed by Armed mis and to
the hospitals.
Attitude of the Chinese Government
3. The official Chinese line on Hong Kong remains uncom-
promising and tough. The press and government leaders have
continued to demand immediate acceptance of their "five
demands". At the same time demonstrations outside the
British Office in Peking have continued but on a smaller
scale than two weeks ago. Despite this, news about Hong
Kong in the Chinese press has been overshadowed by internal
events of the Cultural Revolution. It is possible that
the harsh line on Hong Kong is intended mainly for internal
consumption. We cannot yet say how far it will be reflected
immediate in their programme for action in Hong Kong.
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/Conclusion