RECEIVEO
67747326
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be
returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]
FROM CHINA
Decode.
Sir M. Lampson, (Peking),
21st December, 1929.
D. 2.50 p.m.
21st December, 1929.
R. 9.00 a.m. 21st December, 1929.
No. 1076. (R).
Commander-in-Chief's telegram to Admiralty 798 and
Hongkong telegram to Colonial Office of December 9th.
14
His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton reports
that on the receipt of warning from Hongkong he notified
Chinese Naval Authorities who promised to wireless to
their Bias Bay station. His Majesty's Consul-General
wrote also to Commissioner of Foreign Affairs and asked
that pirates should be intercepted and steps taken to
garrison Bias Bay area in order to prevent piracy.
It is useless to try and get joint action by the
Powers. This course was tried in 1927 and failed large-
ly owing to United States reluctance to join. I have
accordingly sent Note to Waichiaopu on December 18th
recording facts and recording failure of Chinese
Authorities to act on warnings and pointing out that so
long as they fail to take effective steps to root out
pirate base at Bies Bay and so long as pirates are
allowed to conduct their operations from there with
impunity China cannot be considered as fulfilling her
international duties as a sovereign state and cannot
therefore escape responsibility for incidents like
attempted piracy of Haiching and resulting loss of life
amongst innocent persons.
Addressed to Foreign Office No. 1076, repeated to Hongkong, General Officer Commanding Centon, Nanking,,
Commander-in-Chief and Mr. Aveling.