CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 427

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CATE I

FRAGMENT

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Enclosure No.1 in Fr. Jamieson's lio. 23 of June 9th,1922.

Civil Governor to Consul-General,

426

June 7th,1922.

Translation

sir.

Amongst the archives taken over by me was your latter of Karch

24, regarding the killing and wounding of several Chinese workmen by the British Police at Shatin, in which you enclosed copy of the

reply from the Governor of Hongkong on the subject, together with

copy of the staming up and verdict.

As regards paragraph two of the Hongkong despatch which states

that the Hongkong Government have decided to give a sum of $1,000 to

the dependents of each of the deceased and requests that arrangements

be made for the payment of the money, in view of the fact that the

men killed were natives of Kuangtung Province, the sume in question

can be remitted by the Hongkong Government to this office for payment.

A perusal of the letter under acknowledgment however compels

me to observe that the action of the Hongkong Police on the occasion in question in opening fire at Shation and killed and wounding

several Chinose workmen exceeded the most stringent provision of

Hongkong martial law and General Ch'en, the late Civil Governor, has

already entered a strong protest against it in his lettes of March

8. The evidence in the South China Norning Post of Larch 21 states

that, at the point where over 2000 Chinese workmen were passing, there were only at the time five men of the police force, and had they not opened fire they would have been unable to stop them. It also states

that on a road in the rear there was a company of xtroops and police.

who were on the point of arriving. That is to say, the assistant Superintendent of Police could undoubtedly have awaited the arrival of the troops and police who were hastening there, before stopping the Chinese. What need was there hastily to order the police to open

fire? Further a close study of all the evidence given at the enquiry

clearly shows that there was absolutely no violent reisstance on the part of the Chinese: the position of the police was equally in no way

endangered and there was therefore no necessity for them to open fire

in self-defence.

oreover, the road at Shatien is very narrow, and besides this

road