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newspapers were suspended from publication for six months.
This action and the arrest of Communist journalists led to
the delivery of the ultimatum of the Chinese Government on
20 August on the expiry of which the British Mission was
SO Supreme Court judgments were almost obtained
sacked.
against three other Communist newspapers as a result of
civil actions for libel by Hong Kong Government servants.
The sensitivity of the Chinese Government to action against
Communist press in Hong Kong was indicated when the
Chargé d'Affaires in Peking, who had applied for exit visas
for some members of the Mission at the end of November, was
informed on 2 December that owing to recent events in
Hong Kong the Chinese Government had reason to doubt the
sincerity of the British Government's wish to normalise
relations. No exit visas were granted.
The
Chargé d'Affaires urged that punitive actions against
Communist newspapers should as far as possible be limited -
and as a result the Government servants who had been taken
up on libel actions agreed to drop claims for damages.
The newspapers have now resumed publication.
The Border
6.
After the incident of 8 July, the border area
remained unsettled and there was a succession of minor
incidents mostly arising from the passage of villagers across
/the border
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