RESTRICTED
P.A.
1. om
MFB
Prison Visit : Message from N.C.N.A.
98
Galin
RECEIVED
•RCHIVES N
You will remember that I told you that at 10 a.m.,ch 28 November
of N.C.N.A. telephoned to request an 150 S urgent meeting with you. Although I pressed him to reveal tha. subject he would not do so. After consulting you, I telephoned
at 10.30 and said that you had asked me to say that you were not prepared to consider holding a meeting unless you knew.:: the subject N.C.N.A. wished to discuss and that you were in any case not free for a meeting on that day.
2.
At 11.15 this morning
telephoned and said that the urgent problem on which he had requested a meeting had settled itself (this, I think, confirms my view that the N.C.N.A. wished to protest about the film "The Chairman"). The N.C.N.A. would, however, like to have a meeting with you, preferably this morning, to discuss another subject, namely that of the prison visits. I said that you were out and could not be reached.
said that in that case he would ask me to take down a message (this indicates that the N.C.N.A. did not expect you to agree to a meeting on this subject).
3.
The following is the text of the message.
"After we had paid a visit on the 18 and 19 November to see the 13 patriotic journalists who had been unreasonably imprisoned in Stanley and Laichikok respectively, we have now several points to raise with you and through you to the British authorities in Hong Kong. The British authorities in Hong Kong should carefully consider our points and straighten them out as soon as possible.
(1) The food supplied by the prison authorities is still bad and inadequate. Rice of inferior quality and insufficient quantities is given twice a day, each time about 6-7 spoonfuls which at the most is little more than one bowl of rice. This is far from enough. Sometimes sweet potatoes which are already stale are given as subsidiary foodstuffs. They are unconsumable. Such foodstuffs will certainly deteriorate the health of those who have gastric ailments and other stomach ailments. Being subjected for a long time to lack of adequate food and poor nourishment, our people are getting thin and weak, are often dizzy and suffering from many other diseases. Among our compatriots, several of them have fainting spells because of malnutrition and because of the fact that they have been confined in isolated cells for 8 months since the end of last year.
(2) Not a few of our patriotic compatriots were badly beaten up in the prison and they have not been receiving adequate care and treatment. For instance,
of Ta Kung Pao, was struck on one of his ears during his illegal arrest and he is still suffering from a discharge from the ear. This dangerous state of affairs is still causing him great suffering and impairs his hearing.
of the same paper has suffered a great deal on account of long detention in
/contà.