Ref: C/13/471
SECRET
SECRE
Special Branch
Royal Hong Kong Police
1st September, 1971
Subject: C.P.G. Relief Measures for Hong Kong
Introduction
On the 22nd August 1971, the Chinese Red Cross informed the British Red Cross Society, Hong Kong Branch, that RMB 3 million had been remitted through the Bank of China for the relief of victims of typhoon 'Rose', which caused widespread damage in the early hours of 17th August. This note considers, briefly, the circumstances in which the offer was made and the arrangements for distribution of this considerable sum.
Background
2. The C.P.G. has, over the years, offered relief in the form of cash, rice or medical supplies to the victims of natural disasters in Hong Kong on a number of occasions. Sums of up to HK$ 200,000 and 500,000 calties of rice were provided through the Chinese People's Relief Association (C.P.R.A.), Kwangtung Branch, and distributed in Hong Kong by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (C.G.C.C.) with suitable publicity but generally without obvious political discrimination. On two occasions, contributions were made for specifically political reasons. These were the HK$ 900,000 provided by the C.P.R.A. for 'victimized compatriots' during the Kowloon riots of 1956 (distributed through the C.G.C.C. and the Federation of Trade Unions (F.T.U.)) and the 1,000 suits of clothing for confrontation prisoners in 1967. (An offer of 5,000 tons of rice made at the same time never materialized because of the communist unwillingness to conform to Hong Kong import regulations.)
3.
In 1961 the Red Cross was involved when, during a cholera epidemic, the Kwangtung Branch of the Chinese Red Cross donated 300,000 cc of vaccine to the Colony.
Typhoon Rose Initial Reactions
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4. The initial reactions by Hong Kong communist circles after the typhoon were normal. Trade unions set about registering those of their members who had suffered, but they were told that they should also seek assistance from Government, since the unions were not in a position to cover all losses.
The Chinese Offer
5. On 22nd August the Chinese Red Cross society sent a cable to the British Red Cross Society, Hong Kong Branch, for onward transmission to the F.T.U. and the C.G.C.C., saying that the Chinese Red Cross had remitted RB 3,000,000 to them through the Bank of China and requesting that they should distribute it to typhoon-"ictin compatriots'. This information was contained in a press release the same day. A joint account with a balance of HK$ 7,400,000 was opened by the Bank of China on 25th August in the names of the C.G.C.C. and the F.T.U.
6. On 24th August the Hong Kong communist press published news of the Chinese donation. These news items were full of praise for the solicitude of the mother-country. The Hong Kong Evening News remarked that the Hong Kong British should not try to compete, 'since England is a poor country', but that the Hong Kong Government should carry out relief work intensively, as it had
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