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"premises. He had printed the material himself, and the posters called on the students to love their country and rise up in struggle. He claims that he comes from an ordinary lower middle-class background. How did he become a communist?
""In life, I think it is good to have some sense of purpose. I used to think of the many white-collar workers who go to work every day, marry, play mahjong and gamble on horses and greyhounds. What is the point of passing a lifetime like this? When I was in Forms I and II, I turned to religion, but this did not hold me. I have always been aware of the injustices in Hongkong society. I recall one incid- One ent vividly which made a deep impression on me. day after school, I saw a policeman overturn a haw- ker's tomatoes and then stamp on them deliberately. Then look at our youth; they are going the decadent way, following the Beatles. Compare this with the good morality in China. When the disturbances broke out, I felt I must do something. I met a girl I know on the day of the Garden Road incident and she told me how revolted she was by the unreasonable beatings by the police. After this, I was even more convinced that I was right."
"This young man clearly has exceptional intellectual qualities. Unlike most local students, he is no parrot but can think, analyse and argue for himself. He told me he used to go to the City Hall Library when he was in Form II and started reading Aristotle and Russell though he understood very little of them at the time, He has examined things for himself and concluded that Hongkong is decadent, a city in which
Sickened everyone makes money as fast as they can.
by his view of the Colony, he opted for communism and an anti-government movement.
"Other young prisoners in Stanley held similar views, though they expressed themselves far less cogently. In particular, they complained of the power of money in society, and the gulf dividing rich and poor. Their picture of Hongkong was clearly exaggerated and their bitterness had its roots in prejudice rather than a careful study of Hongkong. Nevertheless, these youngsters are moved by high ideals, however misconceived. They are angry at what they regard as an unhealthy community, and they look to Maoism for the cure. Hongkong should take note of the fact that the community does contain its romantic idealists and some of them have taken to communism. At the same time, the Colony ought not to take refuge in the theory that all will be well as long as the economy prospers. Stanley Prison offers clear evidence that some members of the community are not willing to live by bread alone, even when they know how much bigger is the loaf they can enjoy in Hongkong compared to that which is offered in the villages of Kwangtung."
THE SITUATION AS SEEN BY ONE OF THE CHINESE LIVING IN HONGKONG
Letter from Mr I.P. Wu, published in Far Eastern Enonoric Review, August 29, 1968
"Your coverage of Sino-British relations containing