CO129-305 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [5-7] — Page 201

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

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195

perfectly Quistotie

in

Tation is inflicted in sucry police Count - The principle of Chinese law in that no main in prilly till he has conferred so he in tortured till he does. In China 40% or 14 days

is a

sentence mely never prononmeed till after confessin, often preceded by torture

57 1577

is77

No.

199.

sir,

Government House,

May, 1901.

Hongkong,

31et

On the 12th. March, 1900, I read in the

*Hongkong Telegraph' the following account of Chinese sailors

tortured.-

*Five men who formed part of a force or-

dered to proceed to quell a disturbance were accidentally

left behind in Canton. They went to a house of ill-fme and

next morning were arrested as pirates. Not confessing they

were tortured until a confession was wrung from then when

four were executed. The fifth saving his life by giving

evidence against his comrades thus supplying *corroboration".

The Military Mandarin,Li who arrested these men had been de-

graded and threatened with severe punishment if he did not

capture a certain party of pirates. It was believed that he

represented these sailors thus arrested as the pirate party

with whose capture he was charged”.

On 15th. March, the Colonial Secretary

wrote to the Consul-General requesting him to ascertain the

facts, as if true the practice bore upon the proposal that

prisoners made by British Authorities in the suppression of

piracy on the West River should be handed over to be dealt

1

with by the CIInese Authorities.

RIGHT HONOURABLE

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,

On 19th. Marck, an answer came from the

Consul

&C --

&C.+

&c.

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