Cypher/Cat A
IMMEDIATE
Telno 184
SECRET
13 FEB 1968
SECRET
HWA 13/4
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16
TOP COPY
OP
HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
12 February 1968
NEX
REF
Addressed to Commonwealth Office telegram No. 184 of 12 February. Repeated for information to POLAD Singapore, Washington and Canberra.
For Commonwealth Office and Cabinet Office for JIC.
Following from LIC.
Weekly assessment of the situation as at 120600 hours follows. The principle features of the Communist confrontation during the period have been:
(a) No bombs or violence.
(b) Meetings held by Communist Unions and organisations to implement the Federation of Trade Unions directive to register 'needy residents' as recipients of rice donated by the Kwang tung Support Committee and to celebrate Viet Cong victories. Union officials have stated that the clothing donated by the Kwang tung Red Cross is now in the Colony and that rice would be delivered in the near future. They have warned Union members that the Hong Kong Government would try to hinder the distribution of these gifts and that the FTU has asked the Canton authorities for advice about the action they should take in the event of Government interference.
(c)
Ceremonies at Communist controlled schools to mark the opening of the new term. At three major schools students were informed that, whilst the study of Mao's works must continue, in future emphasis will be placed on the teaching of academic subjects. At one school the headmaster claimed a considerable increase in student enrolment during the Chinese New Year holiday.
(a) The continued absence of local Communist leaders who left the Colony on a visit to China at the beginning of the month.
(e) The donation of rice and clothing from Canton remains the major local theme and photographs of the clothing were published with demands that Government permit immediate distribution to prisoners to protect them from the cold weather. The war in Viet Nam has received wide coverage with emphasis on the victories already claimed by the Viet Cong.
(f) A continued period of quiet in the border area, broken only by three events. On 6 February at Lo Wu a group of small boys in C.T. fired catapults at the Immigration Office in B.T. and broke a window. A police officer mentioned the incident to a member of the China Travel Service staff who, upon returning from C.T. stated that Chinese military personnel denied knowledge of it "but that future incidents, if seen by P.L.A., would be stopped". The situation there has been quiet since then. On 9 February a leading Communist was arrested in Wu Kau Tong village New Territories for intimidation. Subsequently a number of anti-Hong Kong Government posters appeared in Chung Ying street, Sha Tau Kok. Although not established, it seems likely that
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