Copy.
No.386.
Copies to: F.0. No.112
Peking No.165.
Enclosure No. 1.
157
H.B.M. Consulate-General,
Canton,
September 26th, 1927.
Sir,
I have the honour to refer to Your
Excellency's despatch No.339 of the 21st September regarding
the provocative conduct of the Nung Man, or peasants corps,
at Shataukok on the borders of the Hong Kong New Territories
Shortly after reading your despatch, I
2.
happened to receive a visit from lir. Tam Lai-ting, who is
related by marriage to General Li Fuk-lam and is, I know, a
close confident of the latter. I therefore asked Mr. Tam
to convey your message to the General and ask if the lung Man could not be removed from Shataukok and be replaced by
General Li's own troops. Ir. Tam promised to do so, but he explained that General Li Fuk-lam was already opposed to the
Peasant Corps and would like nothing better than to get rid
of them, but they were not under his control and it was
doubtful whether he could do much at the present time.
I imagine that the peasant corps is part of
the Kuomintang scheme for organizing and educating the agricultural population in the Nationalist party principles,
and that it is a body which the regular militarists have to
handle with care. The organisation of the peasants was, as
you know, begun und er Russian communist guidance and was
given
His Excellency
3.
The Governor,
Hong Kong.