CO537-3705 — Page 143

INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES

pher (0.7. P.)

No. 99 Secret

JAN

27

XL XX

I

1948

COPY FOR REGISTRATION

JA N

FROM HONG KONG (Sir A. Granthan)

OFIN

D. 23rd January

1948.

17

17.40 hrs.

Ro

23rd

Following from Canton.

Addressed to British Ambassador Nanking,

No. 12.

Repeated to Foreign office, No. 3 (S. of S.

please paaв). Hong Kong as saviugram No. 2.

92

Shameen Incident.

Shameer Superintendent of Police informs

me that he was throughout incident in touch by telephone with Police Headquarters reporting progress every ten minutes. As police had been given orders not to shoot he disarmed them as he was afraid that crowd would take their arms away. They now have orders to shoot in event of further trouble, It was military and not gendarmes who eventually quelled the riot.

20

Commissioner of Customs, who is British, tells me in strictest confidence that member of his staff had communicated news to Doctor Soong at 13, 30 hours and that before incident Doctor Seong had ordered six truck loads of gendarmes to stand by but order was disobeyed,

3.

Australian in charge of rice supplies informs me rice price has increased 70% in the last month and he is apprehensive,if rise is not checked, of rice rio ̈u. Copies sen

Foreign

.0:

?fice

S

Mr. A.L. Scott

73 A