Cypher/Cat A
IMMEDIATE
Telno 1434
DECRET
SECRET
499
TOP COPY
RECEIVED IN
ARCHIMED No. 63
26 SEP 1967
HONG KONG ΤΟ
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
25 September 1967
HwB
Addressed to Commonwealth Office telegram No. 1434 of 25 September. Repeated for information to POLAD Singapore, Washington and Canberra.
LIC.
For Commonwealth Office and Cabinet Office for JIC. From
Weekly Assessment of the Situation as at 250600 hours in two parts follows:
Part I.
The principal features of the Communist confrontation during this period have been:
(492)
(485)
(a) The beginning of the National Day celebrations. Public functions held so far have complied with the law. On 25 September the Communist Press published a list of 27 "slogans" for the 1 October; significantly none of them referred to the confrontation in Hong Kong.
Five
(b) An increase in bomb incidents over the previous week. 382 reports were received of which 73 proved genuine. military personnel, eleven police officers and thirty civilians were injured by explosions. The latter included four terrorists, one of whom died of wounds caused by the explosion of a bomb he possessed. There were no known instances of the use of gelignite. Four persons were arrested for possession of live "bombs" (paragraph 2: of telegram 1423 refers).
(c) Further sporadic, shortlived street demonstrations which followed closely the pattern and purpose of the previous week
A bomb (Part 1 paragraph (c) of telegram 1405 refers). thrown at a police vehicle near the scene of one demonstration resulted in a major explosion, causing injury to five police officers and twenty-four civilians, most of whom were sub- sequently admitted to hospital. The demonstrators were mostly workers and students who dispersed on the arrival of police, invariably leaving behind genuine and fake bombs.
(a) The distribution of the fourth month's strike pay by a number of Communist Unions. One Union has announced a reduc- tion in the amounts to be paid, due to shortage of funds, while there is evidence too of various "contributions" being deducted by others in a thinly disguised attempt to save money.
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(e) The more 'moderate tone which continues to be maintained by the local Communist Press. Wide coverage was given to a policy speech allegedly made by the Chairman of the All Circles Anti-Persecution Struggle Committee (A.C.A.P.S.C.). It was also reported in the second edition of the Wen Wei Pao supplement, The text of this speech lists local Communist "victories" since the advent of confrontation and whilst encouraging "defensive counter attacks", it emphasises the political nature of the struggle. Stress is laid on the long term nature of the confrontation and the fact that
LACT
REF.
422
PARO
SECRET
/"compatriots