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evacuated
1157
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Persons in Hong Kong reported to be Collaborating with the Japanese
It may be useful to collect at this stage the information scattered through 54112/42 regarding persons reported as collaborating with the enemy in Hong Kong. I do not suggest that any action is necessary on the reports, many of which cannot be confirmed, nor that it is necessary at the moment', except in one or two clear cases, to form any definite conclusion.
It will be convenient to divide the report according to racial división.
1. Chinese. On the 29th January the Military Attaché at Chungking reported that according to information received from Hong Kong by General Wu Teh Chen, some 60 prominent Chinese had been housed a Hong Kong hotel in comfort, but subject to political tutelage with the object of persuading them to join the Nanking Government and influence the Chungking Goverment in favour of peace. It was probably as a result of this step that the Japanese in mid-January appointed a 'Rehabilitation Committee" to co-operate with them on the rehabilitation of Hong Kong. The Committee, on the 26th January, sent a letter to Nanking pledging support to Wang Ching Wei and his Administration, in which they stated that they would fight for the peace and regeneration of China and would be glad to follow the leadership of Japan.
The Committee consisted of the following members:
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Sir Robert Kotewall,
Sir Shouson Chow.
Mr. M.K. Lo.
Mr. Li Tse-fong.
Mr. Li Koon-chun.
Mr. W.N. Thomas Tam.
Hr. Li Chungpo.
lir. Tung Chung-wei.
Mr. Wong Tak-kwong.
Chairman.
Many reports, e.g. that of Professor King, and information obtained in postal censorship, have mentioned that Mr. M.K. Lo in particular only joined the Committee after being subjected to considerable pressure, and that "he wore the arm band very unwillingly". This is rather confirmed by Eir. W.G. Poy, a Chinese employed by the Canadian Government who was await on the Gripsholm, who said that most of the former Chinese inembers of the Executive and Legislative Councils have been forced to act as figureheads on an Advisory Council. On the other hand there have been several reports that Sir Robert Kotewall and Sir Shouson Chow had gone so far as to make speeches eulogising Japanese achievements in. China. 7 Gum Chan of the HK VDF reported the gist of a fror Wang Chung
Gmmer Wei spam to pummers of wour by Kothwell)
The Rehabilitation Committee did not include the prominent figure of Sir Robert Hotung. His movements since the attack on the Colony have been rather interesting. He went to Macao for health reasons almost immediately prior to the attack, returned to Hong Kong after the capitulation, and, according to his own account, was welcomed by the Japs, but refused to join the Rehabilitation Committee, after which their welcome cooled. He told this story to the British Consul at Macao on a return visit there, but afterwards went back to Hong Kong, and I have seen it stated in Postal Censorship intercepts that he has joined in the speeches in
praise of Japan. (Gumer Chan sand be onsites the ROW, camp bout didn't spects to any one).
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