Hong Kong.- Formosa Relations.
Attitude of Formosan authorities to shipment of Nationalist soldiers from Hong Kong.
British Consulate,
Tamsui,
Formosa,
24th February, 1950.
No. 29 (2 copies)
Copied to:
H.E. Governor of Hong Kong, No.U/N (1 copy) Peking, No. 3 (2 copies).
Confidential.
Sir,
(8)
I have the honour to refer to my telegram No. 45 of 21st Febraury to His Excellency, the Governor of Hong Kong on the subject of the disabled Chinese Nationalist soldiers in Hong Kong, and to report on the conversations which I had with the Governor of Formosa in connexion with the admittance of the sold- iers who arrived in the S.S. Kweiyang on 17th February,
2.
.
On 15th February I learnt from the local representative of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire that one of their vessels, the S.S. Kwieyang, was due that day from Hong Kong with 946 disabled Chinese Nationalist soldiers and their families. I immediately informed the Provincial authorities and expressed the hope that they would be permitted to land without diffic- ulty. Not having then received a reply to the request which I had made on 23rd January for a general assurance that the soldiers in question would be permitted to land, (see Hong Kong telegram No. 7 to me), I had assumed that their entry per- mits had already been obtained in Hong Kong.
3. When the ship arrived on 17th February all the sold- iers, many of whom were halt and blind, were refused to land with the exception of some thirty-four who held individual entry permits. I interceded with the Governor of Formosa and had a long interview with him on 19th February. He was much ired by the arrival of this vessel and informed me that not only had he received no prior official notification that the vessel was coming (I also had received none from Hong Kong), but also that no permission had been given to admit the soldiers. I drew his attention to an authorization for their entry signed by him which was held by the Tungwah hospital representative on board and he stated that this authorization only covered the previous shipment in the S.S. Hiram on 30th January.
1
4.
The Governor stated that for the security of the island
/he
ajesty's Principal Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Office,
London.