Editorial published in all Canton papers on 13th January, 1948.
28
A Protest Against the Hong Kong Government
Vblating Treaty and Breaking Faith.
Lately the Hong Kong Government have used force to demolish the dwelling houses in Kowloon City and caused 2,000 odd Chinese dwellers there to suffer huge losses and
Chinese to become homeless and hang around in the street. legal rights over Kowloon City have, therefore, been flagrantly infringed.
This affair has aroused the attention of the Chinese Government as well as the people, and the Foreign Ministry has lodged a strong protest with the British Ambassador to China and with the Hong Kong Government, the protest being
We think that this affair based on the treaties concerned. not only has a bearing upon the legal rights of the inhabitants there and China's own sovemignty, but also has an effect on the solemnity of treaties and international justice.
so,
for the sake of future world peace, international order, as well as China's everlasting independence and existence, we cannot but struggle to the end against the Hong Kong Government breaking faith, crossing the border, and committing illegal acts, which must be stopped. Further, the Hong Kong Government should bear all responsibility for the consequences which may arise out of this affair.
The most fallacious point of the Hong Pong Government is its misinterpretation of the treay which denies that China
Ever since still has administrative rights over Kowloon City. 1933 the Hong Kong Government has made attempts time and again to demolish the Kowloon City in order to wipe out whatever
The Hong Kong remains of China's administrative rights. Government first issued an eviction order to the Kowloon City inhabitants in June, 1933, and up to the present three The first eviction such efforts have been made altogether. was not carried out owing to the Chinese Government's protest. The second eviction was proposed in 1939 at a time when China
attention was fighting a war of resistance and unable to pay
the to foreign affairs. Before the eviction could be begun, Pacific War broke out and soon Hong Kong fell, and it was hen
After the last too late for the eviction to be carried out. war, taking advantage of the fact that the Kowloon city wall had been pulled down by the Japanese during the war, the Hong Kong Government are now going a step further by pulling down the dwelling houses, even at the price of using force. Such action is tantamount to a disregard of China's sovereignty, as well as a flagrant violation of the special Sino-British treaty concluded for the extention of the Hong Kong border.
Let us not mention about the sad cause and history of the cession of Hong Kong here. According to the special heaty for the extention of the Hong Kong border, concluded on 9th June, 1898, Britain and China agree to the following two point: (1) Chinese officials stationed inside Kowloon
and (2) it is concluded that City may still handle affairs; within such extended territories the inhabitants shall not be forced to transfer their properties to the Government, if any land is required for such works as construction of Government offices and batteries, such land shall be paid for fairly.
and
If based on the above-mentioned clauses, he Hong Kong Government should in any case abide by the following agreement: (1) that regard be had to China's administrative