CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT SUBMISSION
Hồng Kông
HJ
Measures against the Communist Press
45
The tone of the Communist Press in Hong Kong has steadily
deteriorated since the beginning of the disturbances early in
Kay. For some time the Governor has been considering the
possibility of taking monsures to bring to an end the stream
of invective, abuse, incitement to disaffection and seditious propaganda which has been and still is being poured out by
Communist newspapers. The Governor has been reluctant to take
such action because of the danger of involving direct
confrontation with Peking; but towards the end of May he
informed us that he was preparing draft Emergency Regulations for the purpose, to be roady in case they were needed. On the 25 May, the matter was discussed in the D.O.P.C. who
I Hong Kong agrood that if the Communist Press/continued to carry out or
step up their campaign of sedition and intimidation, the
Governor should use Iergency Regulations to close down the
printing presses. In passing this information on to the Governor, the Secretary of State said that he wishes to be
consulted before any such action was taken.
2.
W
The Acting Governor now considers that the time has come Some
against the Communist Ins
for¡ action to be taken. His reasons for reaching this
conclusion aret-
(a) the firm measures recently taken by the Folice
to deal with the disturbancos have given the
forces of law and order the upper hand; have
dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Communista
and have left them with the Fress as one of their
fow remaining weapons still intact;
(b) the stream of seditious and libellous statements,
incitement to violence and disaffection and
general invective is inevitably having some
effect on public morale and, at the same time, is the main driving force sustaining the hard- core Comunists and encouraging the hooligan
elements in lawlessnege. Unless action is taken
against the Press, it will not be possible to nake any further progress towards a return to normality and stability,
(=) no prospect is seen that the Communist Press
will moderate ite attitude unless action is taken
against it. It has been allowed excessive
CONFIDENTIAL
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