CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONGKONG
8.a. 4458/5
SECRET
62
TOP COPY
TC COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
ELEGRAM NUMBER 569
6 MAY 1968
SECRET
ADDRESSED CO TELNO 569 OF 6TH MAY RFI PA SINGAPORE, PEKING,
WASHINGTON AND HC CANBERRA.
HW
FOR COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AND CABINET OFFICE FOR JIC. FOLLOWING
FROM LIC.
WEEKLY ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION AS AT 0600 HOURS 6TH MAY FOLLOWS.
THE PRINCIPLE FEATURES OF THE WEEK HAVE BEEN:
(A) CELEBRATIONS OF LABOUR DAY BY COMMUNIST AND RIGHT WING TRADE
UNIONS WHICH WERE HELD ON A SCALE SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR AND PASSED
OFF QUIETLY. LARGE SCALE PICNIC PARTIES WERE HELD IN THE NEW
TERRITORIES ON 1ST MAY BY COMMUNIST UNION MEMBERS FROM THE URBAN
AREAS. THE MAJOR SPEECH BY YEUNG KWONG, CHAIRMAN OF THE F T U AND
OF THE A CAPS C, ALTHOUGH INCLUDING MILD ATTACKS ON GOVERNMENT,
LAID EMPHASIS ON THE USE OF MAO'S THOUGHTS TO IMPLEMENT THE RETURN
TO WORK POLICY AND CLAIMED THAT LOCAL EMPLOYERS MOW REALISED THEY
HAD THE RIGHT TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION REGARDING REEMPLOYMENT OF
'STRIKERS' AND SHOULD NOT BE INFLUENCED BY THE 'HONG KONG BRITISH'
THIS THEME WAS REPEATED AT OTHER CELEBRATIONS. SPEECHES AT RIGHT
WING CELEBRATIONS PRAISED GOVERNMENT FOR ITS HANDLING OF THE
CONFRONTATION, WARNED AGAINST COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA AND ATTACKED
CONDITIONS IN CHINA.
1
(B) CELEBRATIONS IN COMMUNIST EDUCATION CIRCLES TO MARK YOUTH
DAY (4TH MAY). THE MAJOR THEMES WERE PROPAGATION OF MAC'S THOUGHTS
AND SUPPORT FOR THE NEGRO 'STRUGGLE'.
(C) THE CANCELLATION OF A SCHEDULED FT U FUNCTION TO MARK THE
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE INCIDENT AT THE HONG KONG ARTIFICIAL
FLOWER FACTORY AT SAN PO KONG ON 6TH MAY AND THE ABSENCE OF
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63 = 7 MAY 1968
AWB 13/4
SECRET
/ANY