TNAG-0003-FCO40-39-Commission-of-Enquiry-into-the-Kowloon-disturbances-addition-1968 — Page 126

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PART V PERSONS INVOLVED

385. Reasons for Participation. Twelve claimed they were not actually involved in the riots but happened to be passing by in the streets where the riots occurred. Of these, one said he was wandering along the street after a movie and was probing with a stick inside an already broken parking meter when he was arrested and charged with breaking it. Of the remaining twelve, four admitted yelling, four admitted throwing things, one said that he and his fellow apprentices thought it was a good chance to take revenge on the police and to let off steam, so he attacked a police van. Two said they joined the crowds for the fun of it and to get first hand experience of being in a riot. Eight of the boys said they joined in out of curiosity and eight said they joined in for fun. Two stated that the reason for their doing so was to reject the fare increase. One said his motive was 'anti- bad-government'. The rest could give no reason.

386. Eight of the boys felt the others were all fighting for a cause. Three felt the others were doing it for fun and three felt there was something wrong with these people. Two felt these people were 'heros'. One felt they were 'mad'. The rest had no idea on this matter. Seven out of the twenty-four said that they had no idea why they were arrested. Twelve said the reason for their being arrested was 'breach of curfew order'. Four felt it was because of their throwing things and one said he was accused of having damaged public property.

387. Seventeen out of the total of twenty-four felt that the main cause of the riots was the raising of fares. One said it was because of feelings against the 'bad- government'. One said it was because of hostility of the public towards the police. One said that the riot was stimulated by excitement over the police's brutality towards a five-year old child in Tsim Sha Tsui district. Four were unable to express any opinion.

388. Twelve of the boys thought SO Sau Chung, LO Kei, etc. were 'good people', 'brave men', ‘a hero', and fighting for a good cause. Four were indifferent or could not express anly opinion. Eight had never heard of them.

Summary by Social workers

389. The interviewers expressed their general conclusions on these boys as follows:

'It seems obvious that the boys interviewed were for the most part employed, had reasonably stable personalities and came from ordinary hard-working families. They were not social misfits anxious for political or other reasons to cause unrest and trouble in Hong Kong.

The interviewers felt that the type of employment many of the boys were in held little for them by way of future security or advancement and this, coupled with the long unorthodox hours they worked, as well as the low pay they received, contributed to the feeling of aimlessness and boredom which was part of the motivation behind their involvement in the riots. Because of the demands of their employment they lacked opportunity for normal teenage fun, so used the riots as one outlet for this need.'