Daily Information Bulletin
09/19/68
к
GOVERNMENT'S COMMENT ON LETTER PUBLISHED IN LONDON TIMES
Note to Editors:
ON SUBJECT OF DETAINEES
The Hong Kong Government has the following comment to make on the letter written by Mr. John Rear to the London Times on November 11 on the
subject of detainees:
Mr. John Rear attempts to argue that the case of Mr. Anthony Grey
detained in Peking is comparable to the cases of 30 or so detainees still
in custody in Hong Kong and says "like Mr. Grey they have simply been held".
In point of fact, Mr. Rear should know the reasons for Mr. Groy's
detention as stated by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on July 22, 1967, wore
that "in view of the Hong Kong British authorities unreasonable persecution
of correspondents of the Hong Kong Branch of the NCNA and other patriotic
newsmen the Chinese Government has decided to limit the freedom of movement
of the British Reuters correspondent in Poking until further notice."
Unlike the treatment of Mr. Gray, these "newsmen" have all been
charged, tried and sentenced in courts for offences against the law of Hong
Kong.
Furthermore, the Hong Kong Government would like to point out a
few of the dissimilarities between the cases of Mr. Grey and of the detainees
which Mr. Rear has omitted to mention.
Firstly, not even the Chinese Government with considerable honesty
have ever suggested that Mr. Grey either misbehaved or did anything to offend
thom. He has simply been detained. Detainees in Hong Kong on the other
hand wore deeply and openly involved in violent activities which led to over
50 deaths, including the deaths of small children from indiscriminate bomb
planting; and they were all part of a concerted assault on the way of life
of the non-communist majority in the community.
/Secondly,
39