CHINA
37
F 1847/154/10
Chinese Ministry for Foreign Affairs to His Majesty's Ambassador, Nanking No. Ou 37/01653
20th January, 1948 The Ministry for Foreign Affairs present their compliments to His Britannic Majesty's Embassy and have the honour to state, with reference to the Kowloon City case, that the embassy have not yet returned a definite and satisfactory reply to the Ministry's memorandum dated 8th January. Furthermore, the Hong Kong police again on 12th January forcibly demolished the temporary wooden huts erected by the Kowloon City inhabitants as a protection against wind and rain. They even opened fire and threw tear gas bombs directed at the inhabitants, with the result that many people were injured.
The Chinese Government consider it a very serious matter that the Hong Kong Government should, while discussions between Chinese and British authori- ties regarding the question of jurisdiction in Kowloon City were in progress, have twice taken the step of forcibly demolishing [the houses and evicting the inhabitants] and even directly [i.e., not through the Chinese authorities] arrest and injure the Chinese inhabitants of the city. The Ministry have repeatedly and emphatically made clear to the embassy the position of the Chinese Govern- ment, namely, that in accordance with the provisions of the Convention respecting an extension of the Hong Kong territory of 1898, China undoubtedly enjoys jurisdiction in Kowloon City and that the Hong Kong Government have therefore no right to send police into Kowloon City and demolish forcibly the houses of the inhabitants, still less the right to arrest and try the local inhabitants. Should the British Government disagree with the views of the Chinese Govern- ment, they should deal with the matter peacefully through the usual diplomatic channel in a spirit of mutual friendship, and should not take one-sided forcible action resulting in the aggravation of the situation. In these circumstances, the Ministry hereby request that the embassy will immediately ask the British. Government to accept the various demands formerly put forward by the Ministry to the embassy and especially to release immediately the arrested inhabitants of Kowloon City, and to withdraw the Hong Kong police stationed in Kowloon City. The Chinese Government also demand that the British Govern- ment should pay appropriate compensation for the physical injuries and property losses suffered by the inhabitants in Kowloon City as a result of the ultra vires action of the Hong Kong Government, and ascertain who fired and who issued the order to fire in Kowloon City on 12th January, and punish them.
It is requested that the above be transmitted to the British Government without delay and a reply returned.
(Stamped) Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
F 860/154/10
Mr. Attlee to the Chinese Ambassador
Foreign Office, Your Excellency,
24th January, 1948. I have the honour to refer to the representations which your Excellency has recently made to me concerning the eviction of the squatters from the former walled City of Kowloon. Your Minister Counsellor was good enough to leave at the Foreign Office on 13th January an aide-mémoire setting out four points to which he drew special attention.
2. As you are aware, the Chinese Government and His Majesty's Govern- ment hold divergent views about the question of jurisdiction over the so-called walled City of Kowloon and I do not propose to discuss these in this note. I would however point out that, except for the period of Japanese occupation from 25th December, 1941, to September 1945, the Hong Kong Government have in fact exercised sole jurisdiction over the six and a half acres in question uninterruptedly from 1899 down to the present day, a period of nearly fifty years. 3. The facts in the recent incident must be considered against the above background, and I should like to set them out shortly for your information.
4. The area concerned was formerly occupied by about sixty-five Chinese who, during 1935 to 1937, were moved into alternative improved quarters by the Hong Kong Government, voluntarily except in three or four cases. On the libera- tion of Hong Kong by His Majesty's forces, it was found that the Japanese had pulled down the surrounding walls to provide materials for the Kaitak airfield, and that squatters had occupied the area, and erected huts thereon. From the
Page 50Page 51