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Sir A. Galsworthy
LAU FAU SHAN INCIDENT
Hong Kong telegrams Nos. 316 and 338 report an incident which began on 27 February when members of a Commune in mainland China pursued eight of their compatriots who had entered Hong Kong territory by boat at Lau Fau Shan and attempted to secure their return to China. The Hong Kong authorities gave the standard reply that the matter was being investigated and if it was decided to repatriate the party they would be sent via the normal crossing at Lowu. In fact the eight refugees were allowed to stay in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Branch then expressed to their contact in the New China News Agency their concern about the high-handed action of the pursuing Chinese. Despite this, members of the Commune returned to Lau Fau Shan on 9 March and made noisy representations at the police station. The Governor is concer- ned that these incursions may continue perhaps on a larger and more militant scale. Paragraph 4 of Hong Kong telegram No. 338 raises the question as to whether we should ensure that the Central Government in Peking are aware of the position and of the messages which have been sent through intermediaties to the Chinese provincial authorities before firm action is taken against future mainland demonstrators.
2.
In Peking telegram No. 297, H.M. Chargé d'Affaires says he thinks that Peking are probably aware of what is going on and that for various reasons they are anxious to avoid provoking a major incident at this time. On balance he is in favour of trying to settle the matter locally, but recognises that it might be necessary to make representations in Peking. The various courses of action he might take are set out in paragraph 6 of his telegram.
Recommendation.
3. I recommend that we advise the Governor of Hong Kong to continue to try to settle the matter locally and, if necessary, to use firmer measures against the demonstrators, and that we should make no representations in Feking unless the Governor considers that the situation has worsened to an ex- tent where this is essential. I submit a draft telegram in which the Foreign Office concur.
Argument
40 We can, I think, accept Mr. Hopson's view that news of the incident and of the Governor's messages will have got through to Peking. There is therefore no reason on this account for Mr. Hopson to take up the matter there. Mr. Hopson makes the sound point that if he now took the initiative in making representations on this incident in Peking, this might well provoke the Chinese into protesting about the visit of the American nuclear-powered escort carrier "Enterprise" to Hong Kong. In his telegram No. 298, Mr. Hopson reports that the 'People's Daily' of 17 March has already published an article taking us to task for allowing the "Enterprise" to visit the Colony. Moreover, the Governor does not want to risk a direct confrontation with the Chine se on the question of the return of illegal immigrants (see Hong Kong telegram No.286).
15.