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was confined in a filthy and evil-smelling room, infected by mosquitoes and other insects, until after fourteen hours' confinement he was intimidated into signing a draft payable at three days' sight for 1,000 dollars. He was released at 4 A.M. on the 11th June, and His Majesty's consul immediately wrote to the Chinese authorities protesting and demanding cancellation of the draft. On the 13th June the Opium Suppression Bureau sent a messenger to the bank accompanied by armed men, and the draft was cashed. In reply to all protests the Chinese authorities obstinately maintained that Low was a Chinese citizen.
His Majesty's consul-general at Nanking made representations to the Mr. Consul Kirke, Nanking Government, who, however, upheld the action of the local No. 20, Septem- authorities at Swatow in claiming Low Peng Kiah as a Chinese subject. ber 17, 1921.
The Chinese Law of Nationality," they stated,
is founded on the [F 8324/6765/10.] jus sanguinis, and though a person may be born abroad he cannot be recognised as a foreigner until his renunciation of his Chinese nationality has been duly approved. Though Low Peng Kiah's father traded as a merchant at Singapore and Low Peng Kiah was himself born abroad, he has not applied to the Chinese Government for permission to renounce his Chinese nationality, and, therefore, in view of the provisions of the Chinese law of nationality, he cannot be recognised as a foreigner and so escape at will the penalty of his offence.'
The case is a very bad one, but it should be noticed (a) that Low owned property inside the native city of Swatow, where probably only a person indistinguishable from an ordinary Chinese subject could own land. and (b) one of the proofs that he is not a Chinese subject is the fact that as a foreigner" he was not required to comply with the regulation regarding payment of the cost of constructing a road through the city.
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32. Case of the Steamship “Tai Ming," Canton, 1927.
On the 9th August, 1927, the Governor of Hong Kong communicated to His Majesty's consul-general at Canton a complaint which he had received from the Kwong Wing Company (Limited) of Hong Kong, that their ship, the "Tai Ming," had been detained by the Chinese authorities at Doshing, a port of call on the West River, since the 3rd August. The company stated that they were willing to submit to the jurisdiction of the Maritime Customs, but there was no customs station at Doshing; they claimed that the Chinese authorities at Doshing had no right to search a British ship or to put her to any restraint, and British trade on the West River would suffer immensely if a British ship would be allowed to be illegally restrained without any redress. The Governor requested the consul-general to enter a protest and obtain the early release of the "Tai Ming. The vessel had, however, already been released by naval action in the following circumstances :---
The "Tai Ming" arrived at Tak Hing a port of call-early on the 3rd August, and was discharging smuggled salt when an inspector of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau came on board and seized the salt. He then went ashore to seek assistance, leaving two soldiers to guard the salt. The Chinese crew beat the soldiers, one of whom was badly bruised, threw the salt overboard, and coerced the soldiers into signing a bond that the ship had been searched and no salt found. When the inspector returned the ship had sailed for Doshing with the two soldiers. He therefore telephoned to Doshing to arrest the ship. During the fight at Tak Hing the British master had been asleep and the British chief officer on watch had not been informed. The ship arrived at Doshing at 9 A.M., and the usual search party came on board. The master and chief officer, knowing nothing of the fight at Tak Hing, were at breakfast when two whistles were blown from the gangway, indicating that the search was over and the vessel might proceed. The crew began heaving in the anchor, when immediately soldiers on shore began firing. The master rushed on to the bridge and stopped the windlass, when the firing ceased. About six shots were fired without doing any harm. The master then found that the ship had not been released, but could not discover who had blown the whistle. Four officials and twenty soldiers then came on board, and after much prevarication on the part of
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