CO129-496 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 337

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immediately despatched with such naval escort as may be

available in accordance with a plan which is being

prepared by the Naval and Military Authorities.

expedition would proceed at once to the anchorage in

Bias Bay, where pirated ships are moored, and would

there land and endeavour to waylay the pirates while

removing their loot. The troops would also search the

pirate villages and, if necessary, destroy them.

6.

Such a punitive expedition would, of course,

be

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a warlike operation undertaken in Chinese waters and on

Chinese soil, If, therefore, the co-operation of a Chinese

cruiser, should one heppen to be in or near Hong Kong at

the time, could be obtained, this would be a great advantage.

But it is not unlikely that no Chinese cruiser might be

at hand, and the essence of a punitive expedition into Bias

Bay is that it should follow immediately upon the report of

a piracy. In such case, heving regard to the fact that the

Bias Bay area is outside the effective control of any

administration in Canton, and having regard also to the

numerous depredations committed by Blas Bay pirates in

recent years, the de facto Canton Government when presented with the fait accompli might, of course, loudly protest

against it as an act of war carried out by British armed

forces in Kuang-tung, but would, I believe, secretly rejoice

at the extermination of this nest of pirates, end might

even be encouraged thereafter to exert its own authority

by stationing troops in this area and driving out the

brigands who infest it. The result, as a whole, would

and would not be misunderstood

I feel sure be salutary,

(iv)