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charged with various offences.
There were stoppages of work in other concerns
and numerous scuffles and minor incidents occurred at several other places
throughout the Colony. The People's Daily provided more fuel for the flames
on the 10th of June by urging workers, peasants, the Peoples Liberation Army
and the 'revolutionary masses' in China to prepare to support the struggle
in Hong Kong with concrete action.
by Radio Peking.
Broadcasts on similar lines were put out
On the 23rd June there was another major incident. A small Police
party engaged in photographing posters at Canton Road was suddenly attacked
by a gang of men armed with iron bars, bottles and sharpened files. The Police
in self-defence opened fire with their revolvers and in the ensuing battle two
policemen were injured and one of the assailants was fatally wounded. The
remaining attackers were seen to retreat into the premises of the Hong Kong
& Kowloon Rubber and Plastic Workers Union, which was close by, and a strong
Police party was called up which, with some difficulty, forced an entry into
the union premises. After fierce resistance, in which a number of Police were
injured, fifty-three people were arrested of whom three later died of the
injuries that they had sustained.
This period of unrest came to a head on 24th June when a 'general strike'
was called heralded by another fanfare from the Peoples Daily. In spite of
lavish payments by the communist unions, supported by a gift of $10 million
from the All China Federation of Trade Unions, it was not a success. The
Kowloon Motor Bus Company was the most seriously affected but nevertheless
managed to continue to provide an emergency service. The other transport
companies maintained a reduced service, while the utility companies, though
short-staffed, continued to operate effectively. The public was considerably
inconvenienced but a fleet of private cars and nine-seater vans appeared on
the streets to fill the gap caused by the shortage of public transport and
despite claims to the contrary by the communist press, life went on much as usual.
One of the major factors that led to the comparative failure of these
stoppages was the firm action taken from the start by Government in dealing
with its own employees. They were warned that these were not legal 'strikes'
arising from an industrial dispute and that if they took part they would be
liable to dismissal. Those that did take part, which included in the first
phase some staff of the Marine Department and the Waterworks, were immediately
interdicted from duty or discharged. Those who could subsequently show that
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