CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 93

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CVII.

This statement, and still more the replies which the Prime

Minister gave to questions in the House, went some way to relieve the tension caused by the earlier Japanese reports. In addition, the local British newspapers all published

leading articles deploring any lack of faith in Britain's policy and counselling reliance on the sincerity of her

intentions.

The Chinese press was, for the most part,

still suspicious and inclined to take the line that even

if China were deserted she would fight to the last.

The President and Vice-president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce were interviewed by the Assistant

Secretary for Chinese Affairs at the Chinese Secretariat on the morning of the 25th, and warned of the danger of allowing uninformed patriotic enthusiasm and Japanese propaganda to dominate the forthcoming meeting. They were of opinion that the Prime Minister's statement had modified the resentment caused by the original news reports and that the purpose of the meeting would be to endorse the action taken by Mr. Tan Kah Kee in sending the telegrams to England.

About a thousand people were present at the

meeting which was conducted in an orderly manner. Mr. Tan Kah Kee presided and addressed the meeting. After likening any continuance of the Munich tactics to the feeding of a tiger which when the supply of flesh is not forthcoming will pounce on the feeder himself, he praised the Malayan Governments for their tolerance in the regulation of the patriotic activities of Chinese during the last two years and expressed keen appreciation of the generous attitude

of these governments. He referred in detail to the help given by Britain to China and dismissed the rumour of compromise at Tokyo as unreliable, adding "before these rumours are confirmed we must refrain from taking any action"!