4058/3/41.
Cypher Telegram
mo:
TO HONG KONG
Governor (Sir G. Northcote)
FROM: Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Sent 26th June, 1941. 21.00 hrs.
62
22
IMMEDIATE.
SECRET AND PERSONAL.
Your telegram No.578. I am disturbed over this affair and while I hesitate to preas you to take action against these evacuees in view of the considered opinion you have expressed I cannot overlook the fact that they have received special concession of temporary re-entry to Colony and then flagrantly broken their word and defied the Government.
7. It is not clear to me why compulsory inoculation for cholers should not be desirable as a defence measure of general application to all residents of Hong Kong in view of likely conditions in the event of slege. If that were done (and I request that you will consult G.0.0.) first batch for inoculation could be designed to include the nine defiant evacuees.
3. Regulation 63 would permit of Hong Kong Government returning these evacuees to Australia or deporting them to United Kingdom but in any case Hong Kong authorities should have no need to require persons to be detained in country to which they are sent. Is it not for Hong Kong Government to ensure only that in no circumstances are they or any other evacuees allowed to land in Hong Kong?
4. As regards (e) in your telegram any such difficulty could be disposed of by dubmission of cases to Government Medical Board.
5. Fact that number of defiant cases is very small so far seems to me to be a reason for Government taking definite and effective action now which should be at each stage and in each case based on defence justification in pursuance of His Majesty's Government's policy.
If any of the nine have been recipients of subsistence grant from public funds in country to which they were originally evacuated it could be made clear to them that having voluntarily divested thems ›lves of that support it will not be restored to them on deportation to U.K. but that if before stipulated period (which should be date of next available sailing)" they return voluntarily to Australia the original arrangement will be resumed in that respect.
7 I should be glad if you would consider the matter again in the light of above considerations and telegraph your views.
No comments yet.
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