x
With the Compliments
73315 3315 10
|3313|10m
No 69
y of Sate
for Foreign Affigies
17 JUL 1944
Copied to F.0. No 28
(& one copy)
Sir,
Colonial Office
British Consulate-General
Chungking
27th June 1944.
Lo
15
I have the honour to report that Count R. de Sercey (French) of the Chinese Postal Service, who left Hongk ong on 25th April 1944 called to see me today.
2. He informed me that Major Ford of the British Military Mission, Kweilin, had interrogated him thoroughly when he passed through Kweilin and, therefore, I merely propose to mention a few points which may not have been mentioned before, and to supply a very brief summary of the most important news concerning internees in case a copy of Major Ford's report may not yet have reached the Embassy or Foreign Office.The Count stated:-
I. The Chinese in Hugkong are at presert not only very anti-Japanese but in his experience even more pro-British than pro-Chinese. Thus they had informed him that were Hongkong handed over after the war they would emigrate to Singapore.
II. There is great faith in a not distant Allied victory. This is shown by the fact that the Hongkong dollar is at par with the yen and Hongkong dollars are being hoarded.
III. The Japanese since last autumn have realised t..ey are beaten but some are banking on America and England warting to use Japan as a buffer against Russia.
IV.
Hongkong and Kowloon are quite separate administrative areas. The Crinese members of the Council are forced to be such to keep their families from starving.M.K.Log is a case in point.
The cost of living in Hongkong is even nigher than in Chungking, but with money anything can be had.
V.
VI. On 1st January the bread ration for internees in Stanley Camp ceased and their he 1th has greatly suffered. After May 1942, they received 8 ozs daily, subsequently reduced to 4 ozs, until it ceased.
VII. Failure of the repatriation scheme had also had a bad effect on health, as lists of repatriats had already been prepar
VIII.AF-east Arrests were made between February and June 1943 and were still continuing to a lesser extent, the charges being in connection with money cransactions, intelligence activities etc.
IX? In connection with these ar ests 16 persons inside the camp and 16 outside (Chinese, Portuguese and Furasians) had been executed, torture having been used to obtain confessions. The executions occurred at the end of September, and as a warning the names of the persons executed had been posted up in the camp. X. Selwyn Clark is still in prison but had not been executed when the Count left Hongkong.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your Excellency's most obedient, hurable Servant,
Ronal Batt
Hall
Acting Consul-General
H.E.
H..Ambassador
British Embassy
CHUNGLING