13.
EVIDENCE OF SUI HIN YIT CHINESE REVENUE OFFICE
SPECIAL GRADE AFFIRMED.
48
My name is Sui Hin Yit and I am a special grade
Chinese Revenue Officer. I was in charge of the Revenue
party detailed to carry out an inspection of the "Kwong
Tung" on Saturday the 31st January, 1948. I went on
board with my unit at 7.0 P.M. We commenced our search
at the forward end of the engine room casing in the crews'
¤ galley. While making the search some women
passengers rushed forward from the after part of the ship
shouting "Fire". I looked art and saw flames and white
smoke. Due to the crowd forcing their way forward I
could not move. I left the ship with my party by the
forward cargo port on the port side. There were a number
There was a
of people but it was not very difficult.
narrow gang plank and I saw a few people fall into the
water while trying to reach the wharf. When I and my
party got on to the wharf we commenced rescue work. I
myself pulled three persons out of the water. There was
considerate panic. During an inspection, if I found goods
of a dangerous nature in passangers baggage I would remove
them to the wharf and if in any quanity would immediately
notify the office. I have frequently found such goods
during the course of my duty. When I went on board so
far as I could see, the whole deck was covered with baggage
and passengers were sitting on top. We require passengers
to spread out their baggage in order to facilitate the
search.
I never went to the stern of the ship. I saw no
passengers carrying baggage from ship to wharf. If there
is time to spare after searching the ship itself we then
attend to the baggage and we require passage ways through
the baggage.
The foregoing is a true record of the evidence I have given.
Sd. H. Y. Sui,