CO129-559-5 Attempted assassination of Wong Ching-wei- proposed extradition of alleged accomplice 17-3-1936 - 15-5-1936 — Page 25

In any

further communication

on this subject, please quote

No.

T 6102/6102/374

and address-

not to any person by name

but to-

CE

The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S. W.1.

Sir,

FOREIGN OFFICE.

S. W. 1.

5

28th March, 1936

23A

I am directed by Mr. Secretary Eden to invite reference

to your letter No. 53740/36 of the 20th March regarding t he

proposal of the Governor of Hong Kong to exercise his powers

under the Hong Kong Deportation Ordinance of 1935 in order to

ensure the return to Chinese territory of an alleged accomplice

in the attempted assassination of the former Chinese Foreign

Minister Wang Ching-wei, whom the Chinese Government are

sending to the Colony under escort for the purpose of giving

evidence in the extradition trial now proceeding of persons

accused of complicity in the crime.

2. Mr. Eden assumes that in proposing to disallow the

Governor's proposal Mr. Secretary Thomas has regard to the

principle that deportation procedure should not be used as a

substitute for extradition proceedings and to the fact that,

since the accomplice whose evidence is required in Hong Kong

is an accused person in China it would not be proper, once he

has been introduced into the Colony, to seek to secure his

return to China by any procedure other than that of extradition.

3. I am, however, to observe, for the consideration of

Mr. Thomas, that Mr. Eden regards it as desirable from the political point of view that an attempt should if possible be made to comply with the request made by the Chinese Government

on this occasion, since it would be a matter of no little

/difficulty

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.