1
Cypher/OTP
DIPLOMATIC DISTRIBUTION
4+3 98
FROM TABUT TO FOREIGN OFFICE
His Majesty's Consul No. 195
D. 9.51 a.m. 20th November, 1949 19th November, 1949. R. 10.55 a.m. 20th November, 1949
Repeated to wanking, Chungking and Hong Kong.
PRIORITY
CONFIDENTIAL
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 195 of 19th November repeated to Nanking, Chungking and Hong Kong.
My telegram No. 194.
(42)
I have just been notified by Hong Kong Government that this control has been in force since November 11th. The measure is described as a control over travellers from Formosa intended to stop one-way traffic from Formosa and imposed because Taiwan Government imposes strict control.
2. The measure thus appears to be retaliatory and to discriminate against Chinese travellers from Formosa as Consul General at Chungking was not originally requested to notify Chinese Government. I wonder whether political aspects of such a move were referred to you for prior consideration. While desire to restrict entry in to Hong Kong is appreciated, the method by which it has been done without due warning or notification to the Chinese authorities and with no indication that you have been consulted on the political aspect or intimation to me of scope and purpose of the measures has caused bad feeling and been most embarrassing to me. May I now inform Commissioner of Foreign Affairs that restriction applies only to travellers from Formosa and what explanation can I give to allay the present unfriendly comment.
3. s travellers from Macao and Liuchow apparently require no visas shipping and aviation companies are now diverting their services to these points and Jardine Matheson and Company's vessel has already sailed for Macao with full load of Chinese passengers. Jardine Matheson and Company informs me Hong Kong Government is also withholding permission for scheduled flights to Taipei by Hong Kong
irways nd that in the meantime General Chennault's China Air Transport is chartering American aircraft to run a service via Liuchow.
Foreign Office please pass to Chungking as my telegram No. 16 and to liong Kong as my telegram No. 83.
[Repeated to Chungking and copy sent to Colonial Office for repetition to Hong Kong).
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