FEC
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government. ]
Printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence.
SECRET.
521-M. (DRAFT)
¦
COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE.
OVERSEA DEFENCE COMMITTEE.
Copy No.
373
CHINA.
PIRACY IN BIAS BAY,
Memorandum by the Oversea Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence.
THE Colonial Office have referred to the Oversea Defence Committee for their consideration a despatch, dated the 30th Jane, 1926, from the Governor of Hong Kong requesting approval for certain proposals for dealing with piracy in Bias Bay.
The Governor's despatch, with four enclosures, is reproduced in Appendix I.
2. The Governor proposes that, when a piracy in Bias Bay is reported, two companies of a British regiment should be immediately despatched with such naval escort as may be available to Bias Bay, where pirated ships are usually moored, and that the troops should land and endeavour to waylay the pirates while removing their loot. The troops would also search the pirate villages and, if necessary, destroy them. These proposals go much further than the Admiralty standing instructions for the suppression of piracy in Chinese waters, and partake of the nature of a minor punitive expedition. The present Admiralty instructions are summarised in Enclosure No. 3 to Appendix I.
3. Appendix II contains a further despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong, dated the 28th August, 1926, reporting two further piracies in Bias Bay, and again arging that approval should be given to the recommendations contained in his previous despatch (Appendix I
4. In Appendix III is a telegram, dated the 6th October, 1926, from the Governor reporting yet another piracy. In this telegram the Governor states that the pirates probably scattered at once amongst the villages and seaplane recounaissance failed to locate them.
5. Appendix IV contains a telegram from Peking giving the views of the Acting Cousul-General, Canton. The latter suggests that the proposals in Appendix I, it carried out, might result in a charge of barbarous treatment to innocent villagers, and suggests as an alternative that Bias Bay should be occupied by a small garrison, Canton at the same time being given a public undertaking that the garrison will be withdrawn as soon as it is replaced by Chinese troops. If this is not possible, the Acting Consul-General considers that the Hong Kong scheme is better than taking no action at all. He suggests that in either case action should be taken immediately after the piracy of a British ship. In this connection it may be noted that in all the cases of piracy mentioned in Enclosures Nos. 1 and 2 to Appendix I the ships concerned were not British owned.
6. In a telegram from Peking (Appendix V) the British Minister concurs generally in the view of the Acting Consul-General, Canton.
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