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Hong Kong telegram No. 1393 to Commonwealth Office. (· T·D)
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5. We do not feel the deterrent effect likely to be very marked. While earlier incidents seemed more the work of hired thugs, more hard-cere Communists especially students now seem to be involved. The Communist Press attacked Y.K. Kan for his proposal
Those sentenced in the early stages were confident of quick 'liberation' but this confidence must now be fading with con- sequential effect on the value of long-term sentences.
6. We had ourselves come to the view that any extension of the death penalty to bomb effences should be restricted to attempted murder and I think we could gain public acceptance of this.
7。 To summarise: with the lessening of serious bomb Incidents pressure for the application of the death penalty is less at the moment. It could rise again quickly and I would still like to have your views. If the situation deteriorated and a strong demand arose for it which could not be met on political grounds, some other form of manifestly stern action would have to be taken instead to restore confidence, such as action against the top newspapers or the detention of C.P.G. sensitive leaders.
Q.A.Go Sent 09592 15 September.
Rood.10122
15 September,
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