14.
With the onset of confrontation the local
communist press gave up all pretence of reporting news
stories concerning police action on the ground were
distorted beyond belief; even the second string of
communist newspapers, which up till then had maintained
an overtly neutral stance, added their shrieks of
'protest' to the general cacophony. Personal attacks
were mounted on people of all levels ranging from H.E.
the Governor to police constables. Nearly every article
in all the communist newspapers was in breach of the law
and virtually the whole of the papers were devoted to
local news (or communist fiction alleged to be news).
Some examples of the type of material which appeared in
the communist newspapers at this time are at Appendix 'B'.
15.
This state of affairs continued until August
when libel action was instituted by a number of Government
servants against communist newspapers and criminal
proceedings were taken by Government which resulted in
the suspension and then the suppression of the Tin Fung
Daily, the Afternoon News and the Hong Kong Evening
News. As a result some of the more libellous epithets
such as 'yellow-skinned pigs' disappeared from the
newspapers - nevertheless inflammatory and seditious
articles continued to appear daily.
16.
Throughout the violent phase of confrontation
the communist press was loud in its praise of the
compatriots' 'valiant actions'. This line was followed
until early December, 1967, when the authorities in China
ordered an end to violent tactics in the struggle against
the Hong Kong Government. Overnight no further praise of
violence appeared in communist newspapers and the last
/'planted'......
CONFIDENTIAL