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HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO, 1817 TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

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2. POLICE ACTION CONTINUED AGAINST COMMUNIST TARGETS MAINLY

CONNECTED WITH BOMB ACTIVITY. A BOMB MAKING CENTRE IN THE, CHUNG

WAH MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS NEUTRALISED FOLLOWING AN EXPLOSION ON THE PREMISES AND THE BUILDING WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED BY THE DIRECTOR

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OF EDUCATION. FOUR OTHER COMMUNIST SCHOOL PREMISES WERE VISITED BY. POLICE WHO MADE A NUMBER OF ARRESTS. ON 2ND DECEMBER

THE HEADMASTER OF THE CHUNG WAH MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHO IS ALSO A

MEMBER OF THE ALL CIRCLES A P S C, WAS ARRESTED AND DETAINED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE DEPORTATION OF ALIENS ORDINANCE.

3. THE ATTACK ON THE POLICE OFFICER AND THEFT OF HIS REVOLVER

IS THE THIRD IN FOUR MONTHS BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO ESTABLISH

WHETHER THESE ARE COMMUNIST OR MERELY CRIMINALLY INSPIRED.

4.

THE CLAIM BY THE COMMUNIST PRESS THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES

HAVE BOWED. TO CHINESE DEMANDS ON BORDER PROBLEMS IS PROBABLY DESIGNED TO BOOST LOCAL MORALE FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT ACTION AGAINST COMMUNIST SCHOOLS. WHILST SOME OF THE PROPAGANDA IMPACT HAS BEEN LOST BY THE DELAY IN PUBLICATION, IT MAY WELL ENCOURAGE

LOCAL COMMUNISTS TO BELIEVE THAT GOVERNMENT WILL EVENTUALLY

ACCEDE TO THEIR DEMANDS. HOWEVER, THERE HAS BEEN NO CRITICISM IN EITHER THE RIGHT WING OR NEUTRAL PRESS WHERE THE AGREEMENTS HAS GENERALLY BEEN WELCOMED AS FORESHADOWING A RETURN TO NORMAL. EARLY CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN TO THE DEREGISTRATION OF THE CHUNG WAH MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER, FOLLOWING THIS AND THE ARREST OF THE HEADMASTER, ATTEMPTS WILL BE MADE

OPENLY TO DEFY GOVERNMENT BY RE-OPENING THE SCHOOL IN OTHER PREMISES,

CERTAINLY THERE IS SOME APPREHENSION IN LOCAL COMMUNIST EDUCATION

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