CO537-2190 — Page 24

CONFIRMATORY COPY

SECRET

CIPHER

IMPORTANT

From:

To:

Rep't:

Dated:

Governor, Hong Kong

Secretary of State for the Colonies (No. 1859)

British Embassy, Nenking (No. 203)

British Consul General, Canton (Saving No. 95)

7th December, 1947

54145/16/47

Your telegram No. 1094 of 1946.

Kowloon Walled City.

A new agitation about Kowloon Walled City is brewing. Immediate cause for this is that for reasons of public health and danger of fire, the Fublic Works Department on the 27th November served eviction notices on some 54, wooden huts which had been illegally erected on Crown Land within the area of the former walled city in the past few months (old wall was pulled down by the Japanese and no longer exists). Date of expiry of notices is the 11th December, 1947. Number of persons involved is probably between 500 and 1000, although the Chinese press claims as many as 2000 involved, As far as can be ascertained none of these resided there previously, and they cannot be regarded as having an original claim to the land, Further huts are being

put up and offered for rent by people exploiting the situation.

2.

Mr. T. W. KWOK came to see me on the 29th November regarding an earlier case of a hut on this land which arose in October. He saw no again on 2nd December and I informed him that we regarded the land in Kowloon City as Crown Land and proposed to proceed accordingly by continuing with the serving of notices. Mr. KWOK then said that this involved a matter of principle, since his Government does not recognise Kowloon City as Crown Land, He added that he was proceeding to Nanking on the 4th December and that he would take the matter up there.

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Meanwhile the Chinese press has taken up the matter vigorously, and the familiar arguments brought out last year that Kowloon City is under Chinose sovereignty under the Peking Convention, 1898, are being repeated, At the same time the squatters inside the city have formed a Kowloon City Residents Association and they have sent a delegation to KWOK's office to present a petition and they are also petitioning the District Magistrate of PO ON (the district which adjoins the Colony's land frontier). They have also announced that a press conference will be held today, though it is not know where it will take place. A public demonstration is also scheduled for 11th December.

4-0

I propose, mless I receive your instructions to the contrary, to proceed with action in the normal way. If the squatter do not move by 11th December the illegal structures will be demolished by the Sanitary Department and if necessary Police