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FLAGB
that they are being held under emergency administrative regulations
and can be released at any time.
any time. They are normally held under war-
rants valid for 12 months whiah can, if necessary, be renewed.
present there are 48 detainees, four having recently been released.
At
A study (attached) has been made by the Special Branch in Hong
Kong about the possibility of arranging the return of detainees to
China or their release in Hong Kong. Its recommendations (paragraph
21) were that:
(a) No attempt should be made to return detainees to China unlese
the Chinese took some initiative in that direction. (Experience in
attempting to deport two film stars and statements made to Sir D.
Hopson by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Feking amply
bear out that the Chinese have no interest, at least at the present
time, in any form of disguised deportation though efforts in this
direction might be pursued at a later stage if relations in general
improve.)
(b)
Consideration should be given to the unconditional release
within the Colony of a small group of the less important Communiste
held under the Emergency detention orders.
(0) If the Communist and public reaction to this initial release
were acceptable to the Government, a phased release programme should
be planned, based on the general principle of releasing first those
who were less important and had been detained the longest.
(d) The political climate and the level of Communist activity, as
well as the individual potential threats posed to security by detai-
nees, should dictate the extent to which the release programme was
effected.
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../ (e)