CO129-521-3 Piracy in Chinese waters- anti-piracy measures 9-4-1930 - 20-11-1930 — Page 50

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(F 4313/8/10)

FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W.1.

29th August, 1950.

50

Dear Fenner,

I am now able to reply to your letter of the 14th and 22nd

July about the provision of Russian guards on British ships

in Chinese waters.

The facts are these.

Piracy is, as you know, unfortunately rife on the

China coast and usually takes the form of an outbreak by a

gang of pirates travelling in the ship as passengers.

If

there is the slightest effort at resistance, ruthless and

savage brutality is a feature of such outbreaks in order to

obtain the maximum effect of surprise against the ship's

officers. The pirates usually have their headquarters at

the notorious Bias Bay, or some other suitable fastness on

the China coast, to which they compel the ship to be

navigated and where they go ashore with the loot. The

efforts of the Chinese authorities to cope with the shore

establishments of the pirates have met with little success.

It was, therefore, decided at an emergency measure to

supply temporarily armed guards from His Majesty's Forces

to British merchant ships permanently trading on the China

coast. The object of His Majesty's Government in making

this temporary arrangement was to provide internal

security in British ships during the period required by the

shipowners to provide, train and establish their own guards

and to carry out other anti-piracy measures recommended by

A. Fenner Brockway, Esq., M.P.

the/

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