CO129-493 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [6-8] — Page 276

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Admiral Ch'ên is one of the three Rear-Admirals on the active list of the Chinese Navy. He is a native of Fukien

Province and he is under the command of Admiral Yang, the senior active officer of the Chinese Navy afloat, who again is theoretically under Admiral Tu, Minister of Marine and now acting Premier at Peking. I enclose a copy of the

report received from the Captain Superintendent of Police regarding his interview with the Chinese Rear-Admiral, who, it will be seen, refused to give me any assistance. fy efforts to obtain the co-operation of the Central Chinese Government through its Navy were, therefore, rendered

nugatory.

5.

In connection with this incident I invite

reference to my Secret despatch of the 30th June, 1926,

regarding the necessity for immediate action in connection

with piracies. In the present case immediate action was

necessary if the police were to be recovered before they

had been sent away from Shan Chun by train into the interior.

It is to be noted that the outrage was committed not by

Chinese Government officers, but by an extra-legal and non- governmental organization known as "Strike Pickets" which the Canton Goverment appears to be unable or unwilling to

control.

6.

On consulting the Officer Commanding the Troops and the Commodore, I found that under existing orders from the War Office and the Admiralty, no troops or seaplanes can be allowed to enter or fly over Chinese territory without express permission from London. I need hardly point out the seriousness of the position here if such regulations are to be rigidly maintained. The present case illustrates the recessity for immediate action. The lives of several British subjects were endangered and their liberty taken away by the outrageous action of uncontrolled armed bodies

of