THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
CONFIDENTIAL
F 1353/154/10
CHINA January 27, 1948 Section 1
Copy No. 12
KOWLOON EVICTIONS: CHINESE CLAIM TO JURISDICTION
(No. 23)
Sir R. Stevenson to Mr. Bevin. (Received 27th January)
His Majesty's Ambassador, Nanking, presents his compliments to His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and transmits herewith, with reference to Nanking telegram No. 33, a copy of note from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, No. Ou 37/00559 of 8th January, 1948, and copy of Embassy Note No. 12 of 10th January, 1948.
Nanking, 10th January, 1948.
(Translation)
Enclosure 1
No. Ou 37/00559
Chinese Ministry for Foreign Affairs to His Majesty's Embassy
for
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs
their present
compliments to His Britannic Majesty's Embassy and have the honour to state that since the issue by the Hong Kong Government on 27th November, 1947, of the order for the evacuation and demolition of the houses of the Chinese inhabitants of Kowloon City public opinion in various places in China has been greatly aroused. Apart from the repeated representations made by the competent persons and the Ministry's Special Commissioner Kwangtung and Kwangsi to the embassy and the Hong Kong Government, on the in- structions of the Ministry, the Minister for Foreign Affairs personally expressed to the British Ambassador on 10th Decem- ber, 1947, the hope that the Governments of both China and Britain would pay serious attention to the maintenance and promo- tion of friendship between the local inhabi- tants and the Hong Kong Government and that the Hong Kong Government would also take the same attitude and avoid taking any action which might produce an opposite effect or action of an inflammatory
nature.
On 5th January, 1948, a big detachment of armed Hong Kong and Kowloon police and workmen entered the city of Kowloon
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and forcibly demolished several dozen houses of the local inhabitants and arrested two representatives of the inhabitants. No measures whatsoever for the proper accom- modation of these destitute and helpless in- habitants were adopted; they were left to sleep homeless in the open.
a
On 6th January, Dr. Liu Shih-shun, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, per- sonally lodged protest with Mr. Labouchere, counsellor of the embassy, and further, on the same day, declared to the British Ambassador that this case was a question of humanity as well as a treaty question.
وو
The Ministry have the honour to observe that the establishment of the Kowloon Leased Territory was based on the conven- tion respecting an extension of the Hong Kong territory, concluded in 1898, which provides: "It is at the same time agreed that within the city of Kowloon the Chinese officials now stationed there shall continue It is to exercise jurisdiction. further understood that there will be no expropriation or expulsion of the inhabi- tants of the district included within the ex- tension...
In accordance with the above provisions, the jurisdiction of the city of Kowloon naturally belongs to China, and the British Government may not compel the inhabitants of that city to remove elsewhere. On 15th September, 1946, the Hong Kong Government issued a statement to the effect that from the date of entering into force of the convention respecting an extension of the Hong Kong territory the city of Kowloon, during the period of its lease, became a part of the extended British territory and was within [the area] sub- ject to British jurisdiction. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs on 18th September, 1946, issued a public statement regarding the attitude of the Chinese Government, re- affirming that the Chinese Government had never renounced their jurisdiction over the city of Kowloon. The reason given by the Hong Kong Government for taking forcible action and compelling the inhabitants of Kowloon City to remove is that the site on
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