SECRET
CYPHER/CAT A
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NO. 2067
い
8 OCTOBER, 1968
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ADDRESSED CO TELEGRAM NO. 2067 OF 8TH CCTOBER REPEATED PA SINGAPORE CANBERRA WASHINGTON AND SAVING TO PEKING.
FOR COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AND CABINET OFFICE FOR JIC. FOLLOWING FROM
LIC. WEEKLY ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION AS AT 0600 HOURS 7TH CCTOSER 1968 FOLLOWS IN TWO PARTS (PART 1 CNLY FOR CANBERRA
AND PEKINGS.
PART 1.
(Part II - See
T/s Annex
RECEIVED IN Ansumer No. 63
-9 OCT1968
Item (244
THE PRINCIPAL FEATURES OF THE PERIOD HAVE BEEN:
HWB13/+
(A) CELEBRATIONS MARKING THE CPG NATIONAL DAY WERE THE HAIN FEATURE OF THE WEEK WITH 159 MEETINGS AND FUNCTIONS HELD ON 1ST OCTOBER. ATTENDANCES WERE MUCH THE SAME AS AT SIMILAR ONES LAST YEAR, ALTHOUGH A NOTICEABLE FEATURE WAS THE INCREASED FAMILY ATTENDANCES,
A MOVE TO SWELL THE NUMBER OF PAFTICIPANTS, THE SUCCESS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, EVENTS IN CHINA AND PRAISE OF HAO THOUGHTS WERE THE MAIN THEMES OF SPEECHES, THERE WAS SOME REFERENCE TO HONG KONG STRUGGLE BUT GENERALLY ONLY IN A LOW KEY. DESPITE WIDESPREAD RUMOURS AMONGST COMMUNIST RANK AND FILE THAT A FIREWORK DISPLAY WOULD BE HELD ON 1ST OCTOBER THERE WAS NO SUCH DEFIANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT BAN, HOWEVER, LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE GATHESED OUTSIDE THE BANK OF CHINA AND AT TWO OTHER LOCATIONS ON HONG KONG ISLAND ON THE EVENING OF 1ST OCTOBER APPARENTLY BOTH TO VIEW THE LAVISH DECORATIONS AND BECAUSE OF THE EXPECTED FINEWORK DISPLAY. THEY WERE GENERALLY ORDEELY, PUT FOLLOWING OBSTRUCTION OF PEDESTRIANS AND TRAFFIC AND SOME ROWDYISM POLICE DISPERSED THE GATHERINGS IN THE
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