1ure in Italian Cons.-General, Canton, to kir. Wilton of February
15th, 1916,
214
tilian Congul-Ceneral, Canton, to Colonial secretary, hongkong.
February 14th, 1916.
110
bated.
sir.
I have been informed that the Italian citizen boehm,
Using through Hongkong on nis way to singapore to take up his post in the firm of the Italian Consul in that .city, has been arrested on Saturday 12th February 1916
and tumefully treated.
As I remarked to you verbally on a former cimilar occasion, the unjust and illegal treatment of Italian subje¤kkcitizens in Hongkong has been unfortunately too frequent. Lo frequent that I had, with regret, to drar up a long exhaustive list (with documentary proofs) for our Foreign Office, in this instance I can speak there - fore with greater force, at 1 have before me the experi- ence of the past, and besides it so happens that kr. Boehm and his family are known in zonykéng.
I must therefore sɛk you to state the reasons for the arrest of Mr. boehm or to release him at once.
The incident acquires graater gravity from the diɛk- graceful way in which Kr. Boehm was treated: he was put in a cell without glass-panes in the window and had to aleep on boards without a blanket. In all civilised coun- tries, a man is considered innocent until his guilt is proved, it was therefore most shameful that, an innocent Italian subject should be treated in such a manner and I must request that the Police authorities responsible for this outrage shall be properly and publicly punished.
I think it necessary to remark again on the fre-
quency
1