CO537-1658 — Page 75

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were introduced, the various attempts made to control the policy of Your Petitioner's newspaper failed and as a result

of this and on Mr. Wong Hau Cheung's report to Canton to this

effect and again probably arising from a visit made by the

said Chang Hoo-sang to Nanking sometime before, Your Petitioner

was informed by Mr. Wong Hau Cheung on or about the 6th August

1946, that the Nanking Government had ordered General Chang

Fa Kwei to lay pressure on the Hong Kong Government for Your

Petitioner's surrender to the Canton authorities for trial as

a traitor and collaborator.

34. On the 26th August, 1946, a deputation from Your

Petitioner's newspaper called upon General Chang Fa Kwei with

two petitions (one from the Board of Directors of the limited

company operating the newspaper and the other from all

employees from the newspaper staff). Without reading through

these petitions General Chang Fa Kwei denied having promised

to clear Your Petitioner's name from the List of Traitors.

He went on to say that he was only half way through the copies

of the Wah Kiu Yat Po published during the occupation and he

had found on occasions "words that were contemptuous of the

National Government" and that in view of these publications,

however occasional, Your Petitioner was not pardonable and he

the General did not desire to discuss further the subject of his

exoneration. He stated further that if he were to intervene on

Your Petitioner's behalf at this stage he would be committing

himself to having attempted to "swallow up" the Wah Kiu Yat Po

though he considered that the paper should be surrendered to the

Chinese Government, who would direct its policy.

35. The delegages from Your Petitioner's newspapers then

submitted that there were other vernacular newspapers abroad

which had continued publication during and after the occupation

in Hongkong, Macau, Singapore, Manila, Rangoon, Burma, Kwang

16.

Jud.

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