0003160 G.F. 316
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5.
This period of relatively minor incidents ended on 8th July, The Sha Tau Kok section of the border had never really quietened down from the events there in June (L.I.C. Internal Intelligence Report for June, paragraph 21 refers). A minor incident of stone throwing occurred there on 2nd July and on 6th July a small group from Chinese Territory (C.T.) crossed into British Territory (B.T.) and threw stones in the vicinity of Sha Tau Kok Police Post. At about 11 a.m. on (th July a crowd of demonstrators from Sha Tau Kok (C.T.), some three to four hundred strong, crossed the border and attacked Sha Tau Kok Police Post. The police in the post attempted to disperse the crowd by firing baton shells and tear gas and were attacked with machine gun fire from within C.T. A police riot company on its way to the post was also pinned down by machine gun fire. Later in the afternoon an explosive device was detonated near the police post and machine gun fire continued. Police small arms fire within B.T. killed one rioter and wounded eight others. At 3.30p.m. troops of the 1/10th Gurkha Rifles advanced into the village and by 4.55 p.m. the police were relieved. Folice casualties resulting from the incident were five dead and eleven wounded.
6.
There is no firm evidence to suggest that uniformed C.C.A. personnel took part in this attack which appeared to have been mounted on the initiative of the local militia. Nevertheless, it is possible that the C.C... fired. Certainly they condoned firing by the militia as they took no action to stop it. Nor is there any clear evidence that the C.P.G. inspired or indeed know about the incident; but they were well enough informed of events to make a protest about it the next day, very quickly by their standards. Following so soon after the People's Daily editorial of 5th July (see paragraph 4 above) this protest provided the local communists with a tangible example of militant C.P.G. support and automatically implied the acceptance of a policy of violence. As a result more moderate local leaders, who had previously counselled against the use of terrorist tactics, were compelled to change their attitude in order to avoid criticism by the militants. On the morning of 9th July the local communist press stated that the incident had greatly encouraged the local compatriots in their struggle. Extra editions were published containing the text of the C.P.G. protest alleging "serious armed provocation by the British", and claining that frontier guards had fired only in self defence.
7.
This incident led to an improvement in the morale of local comunists and violent incidents occured on 9th July in Victoria and Kowloon. Police removing posters from a tram terminus in North Point were attacked by 2 crowd from the nearby Wah Fung China Froducts Company. On the arrival of police reinforcements the crowd retreated into the building but later re-emerged and took part in acts of violence including the burning of a car outside a right wing newspaper building. In western District a police unit was attacked by a crown armed with iron bars and cargo hooks, resulting in three police casualties, one fatal. Police fire killed two rioters. Later the same day, violence spread to Eastern District where crowds chased American servicemen and stopped and stoned public transport. At midnight police were engaged in a number of incidents during one of which a ringleader was shot dead. In Kowloon on the same evening several buses were attacked and one explosion occurred.
8.
Scattered outbreaks of violence occurred on both sides of the harbour on 10th July, Unruly crowds threw stones and acid at police and set vehicles and buildings alight. In several cases communist premises were used as havens of retreat from police. One Chinese male was stabbed to death by a mob in Wanchai, order was not restored until 2 a.m, and public transport continued to be particular targets for mob violence. Street violence continued on 11th July. On the Hong Kong Island, demonstrators employed hit and run tactics in attacking buses and trans and communist department stores became the rallying points for rioters engaged in these disturbances. Police used tear gas and firearms to disperse unruly mabs on numerous occasions and a curfew was imposed on the northern part of Hong Kong Island at 10.30p.m. Kowloon was relatively quiet apart from some attacks on buses.
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19.
During