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1967
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Cypher
CONFIDENTIAL
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 24 June, 1967 R. 24
IMMEDIATE CONFIDENTIAL
No. 905
100OZ
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
Addressed to Commonwealth Office
Repeated to Peking, No. 355,
"Political Adviser, Singapore, No. 193, "Washington, No. 198 (please pass PRIORITY to all).
My immediately preceding telegram.
Incident at Sha Tau Kok up to 241500.
At 240940 as result of information about probable demonstrations, two Police companies were moved into area. At 1104 Police platoon at border in Sha Tau Kok village was stoned from the Chinese side. At 1132 two platoons of Chinese troops moved up to border and set up three light machine guns on upper floor of a shop with field of fire covering main street which marks the border and a general area of British territory. At 1242 a crowd of 60 attempted to enter the closed area at Sha Tau Kok from the British side. They were stopped by Police. At same time crowd of 200 started to line up outside the Rural Committee premises about 400 yards from the border inside British territory. This crowd increased to 500. At 1250 they started moving along the road towards the frontier. They were stopped by Police who attempted to persuade dispersal. A number of this crowd were armed with iron bars and pointed sticks. At same time a crowd of 200 had formed up nearby just over the frontier in Chinese territory.
2. At 1311 a Police landrover was set on fire by another crowd outide the Police post in Sha Tau Kok village on the frontier. This crowd also attacked two Police armoured cars which had been positioned near the barrier; they used hit-and-run tactics moving freely from British into Chinese territory and back. After a period of skir- mishing during which they tried to enter the Police post, the Police dispersed this group using baton charges and gas. Some arrests were made.
CONFIDENTIAL
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