NOTE
o
p
У
VERBALE
119
My. of Foreign
Affairs No. 68
The Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs
have the honour to reply as follows to the represent-
ations contained in the British Embassy's Note Verbale
of the 7th February regarding the operations of patrol
vessels of the Imperial Navy in Hongkong waters.
1.
According to the investigations of the
Imperial Navy, a patrol vessel of the Imperial Navy
sighted two loaded junks at approximately 10 a.m. at a
point 9.3 nautical miles 110° from Waglan Lighthouse
on the 9th January, 1940 (in the British Embassy's
Note Verbale the 19th January is given but no such
incident took place on that day). When she made in the
first place to inspect one of them, the junk attempted
to escape and she therefore fired two warning rifle
shote across her bows, stopped her and inspected her.
There was no ground for suspicion against this junk,
however, apart from the fact that she was registered
in Swatow and she was accordingly released.
Warning shots were fired only at this one
vessel and the incidence of the bullets was definitely
perceived about one hundred metres in front of the
vessel and it is therefore certain that no damage
was done.
2.
During the inspection, the other junk speedily
made off in a northerly direction and the patrol vessel
accordingly pursued her to a point 6.6 nautical miles
90° from Nine Pin Group.
When she approached, she
assured herself that the junk was a fishing vessel and
she therefore let her go without interference.
It/