CO129-507-4 China- anti-piracy precautions- question of compensation to families of British officers killed or wounded 5-10-1928 - 2-1-1929 — Page 51

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The Imperial Merchant Service Guild,

The Arande,

sir,

Lord street,

Liverpool.

21st Tovember, 1928.

The gravity of the situation respecting dasterily

crimes perpetrated by Chineso pirates upon British ships is,

of course, emphasised by further recent events of this

character.

It is an undoubted fact that British asters and

Officers, whilst undertaking their normal responsibilities,

are exposed to death and bodily risk, owing to the absence

of that adequate protection to which they are entitled.

The recent case of the "Anking" is a glaring

illustration of this, resulting as it did in the Master,

Captain Fluɛkett Cole, being very seriously wounded, whilst

the Chief Engineer, Chief Officer and a Chinese Quartermaster

were killed, their bodies being thrown overboard by the

pirates.

The veszel left Singapore on the 23rd September

last for Hong Kong with 1,400 passengers on board and was

pirated in the Gulf of Tonking shortly after she left.

In connection with this matter, we have received a

comunication from a momber who was formerly in command of

the "inking", who comments as follows;-

"The only way to atop piracy is for all the

passengers at Singapore to be embarked under

Government supervision, the same as is done at

Rangoon and Calcutta. Of course, this is

impossible at Swatow but there the passengers

embarking/

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,

Foreign Office,

London.