P.R.O.
Telephones:
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21738
Assistant P.R.O. 31636
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General Office. 23406
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HONG KONG GOVERNMENT
PRESS RELATIONS OFFICE
To:
Date: 24th December, 1946.
Offices:
6E, GLOUCEester arcadE
Ref: FRO/615/3.
1.
WEEKLY SUMARY OF HONGKONG PRESS REPORTS AND COMENTS. December 1 to 7, 1945.
Chief Internal Events Reported.
Everything was overshadowed during the week by the incident on the Shumahun border when a Chinese was accidentally shot and killed by a British soldier on duty at the border bridge. The Chineso press reacted hysterically with the official Kuomintang organ "National Times" setting the pace. This paper gave listorted, imaginative accounts of what had happened and went so far as to associate itself actively with a "Shumchun Packing-up Committee by inviting readers to send monetary donations to the paper.
The "National Times" also devoted considerable space to re- porting the activities of the Shunahun Backing-up Committee, emphasizing the demands it was intended to make on the Hongkong Authorities in gaths- ment of the incident. The rest of the Chinese press gave detailed and gruesome stories of what allegedly occurred on the border, although $- vestigations proved the stories were almost wholly fanciful. However, the majority of the vernacular press refrained from editorial comment, and all of them published the official military statements on the atta
The Chinese press displayed little interest in other local events during the week. The "wa Shiang Pao" reported that the threatened Canten boycott of Hongkong because of the peanut hawker incident had been suspended. The "Sing lao Jih Pao" declared that the Guild of Hongkong Restaurants was continuing its preparations for appealing to the Čevery- ment against the imposition of the tax on meals, while the same paper reported that H.E. the Governor had expressed regret to Mr. Leo D'Almada over the hurried imposition of the tax.
2.
Comments on Internal Events.
The Chinese press was singularly silent in editorial comment on matters relating to the Colony.
The South China Torning Post" commenting on derequisitioning of property in Hongkong said that the obvious answer to the problem of Services personnel continuing to occupy much needed civilian accommodation is that the Services should supply their own establishments and that the Military