En Clair
PRIORITY
Telno 317
PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
UNCLASSIFIED
7 December 1967
186
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 317 of 7 December Repeated for information to Hong Kong, Washington and POLAD Singapore.
18 My telegram No. 315.
Page 2 of People's Daily of 7 December carries an account of my interview on 6 December with "responsible member of West European Department".
2. Article reports that the Chinese official listed the "recent outrages" of Hong Kong British authorities including closure of Chùng Hwa Middle School and arrest of its President Huang Tsu-Fen, raids on Hon Wah, Heung To and Fukien Middle Schools and Mongkok Workers Childrens School, arrest- of "more than 100 patriotic teachers and students" and destruction of portraits and quotations of Mao. member" of the department is said to have described this as "systematic and premeditated persecution of patriotic educational undertakings" and another serious provocation against the Chinese people..
"Responsible
3. He is also reported to have charged that Hong Kong authorities are stepping up their "persecution" of patriotic journalists, film and trade union organisations in Hong Kong by banning the Youth Garden Weekly, threatening to impose injunction on the Wen Hui Pao and arresting directors of film companies and members of film workers and transport workers unions.
4. "Responsible member" is reported as saying that "the deterioration in Sino-Briti sh relations is wholly caused by the brutal suppression and persecution of our patriotic countrymen by the British Government and British authorities in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong problem is the crux of of present Sino/British relations and there can be no talk about these relations if the Hong Kong problem is left aside. While prating about its "desire to ease Sino/Briti sh relations" and its "willingness to restore normal relations between China and Britain" the British Government is continuously taking steps highly detrimental to Sino/British relations. This serves only to expose your hypocritical features. While continuing your suppression and persecution in Hong Kong you want to maintain so-called "normal relations" with the Chinese Government. This will never do. If you recklessly go on like this, existing Sino/British relations are bound to deteriorate even further and the British Government must be held fully responsible for this"
V
A
184 189
/Mr. Hopson