19A 2.
General Chang Fa Kwei, 2nd War Area Headquarters, TITIEN.
H
28
25th October, 1945.
IMMIGRATION
I am disturbed by reports from friends recently in Canton which appear to indicate a misunderstanding there in regard to the policy of limiting entry into Hong Kong for the time being. My own conviction is that Canton and Hong Kong stand in complementery positions and that anything tending to sever the close and intimate association between the two is bad.
2.
I have been forced, however, to adopt this temporary policy of restriction, which is so much to the Colony's disadvantage, because I am seriously concerned about my continued ability to feed the people who are already here.
3.
I have seventeen days' supply of rice on hand. After exploring every conceivable source I have as yet only a promise of 9,000 tons of rice: of that amount only one third is definitely earmarked for loading thus far. Provided the whole 9,000 tons is eventually loaded and delivered in Hong Kong, it will sustain 700,000 people for about 30 days if the stock is carefully handled. The population here is estimated to be already over three quarters of a million. You will, therefore, appreciate my anxiety to avoid any material increase during the next few weeks. Some rice has been purchased in and around Macao in small quantities, but this source of supply is uncertain. Practically speaking, there are no supplies of meat and vegetables in Hong Kong at present to supplement the rice diets I have, however, taken all possible steps to encourage local fishermen to bring in maximum catches. The fishing population has, however, been decimated by the Japanese and it is estimated that only one third of them survive and only one sixth of their boats.
4.
I sincerely trust that no one will interpret my endeavour to save from starvation the hundreds of thousands of Chinese already in the city as an unfriendly gesture towards China. Please believe that I acquiesced in a policy of temporary limitation of entry with great reluctance, and solely in the light of my responsibilities to the City's undernourished population so recently liberated from Japanese rule.
5.
I make this plea for understanding of the course which circumstances have forced on me with the greater confidence since I have endeavoured to demonstrate in action my policy of bringing about the closest measure of co-operation between the areas under our respective commands. With this object in view, I have recently agreed to place Hong Kong's facilities in regard to housing and docking at the disposal of Chinese authorities to ensure the rapid transportation of the 8th and 13th Armies. I have made available to General Ho Sai Lai from our exiguous stocks 600 tons of rice to feed those same armies. And to transport them I have authorized the use of our slender coal stocks (reserved for the production of