Mob burns British consulate
A WARSHIP was sent to Canton today to evacuate British personnel, if necessary, after mobs fired the British consulate and wrecked other buildings.
The rioting, says Reuter, was a protest against the eviction of Chinese civilians from con- demned houses in Kowloon on the mainland.
Consulate
furniture, docu- ments and clothing were thrown into the flames.
Mr Hiram Boucher, the U.S. Consul-General, quoted by BUP, said, "The whole British consulate compound is ablaze. Several of the consulate staff were attacked by the mob. One has not been accounted for.
"The fire-fighting equipment is entirely inadequate, and I be- lieve the entire consulate is a total loss.
The mob attacked Mr J. L. Murray, the British Press Attache, his wife, and his secre- tary, Mrs Bishop Williams, as the party was entering the home of the U.S. Naval Attache in Canton. They succeeded in reaching the entrance to the Naval Attache's home before the rioters reached them.
Mr Ronald Hall, the British Consul-General, left the pre- mises earlier under police escort when the mobs outside showed signs of getting violent."
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THE STAR
T6 JAN 1948
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