TNAG-0003-FCO40-39-Commission-of-Enquiry-into-the-Kowloon-disturbances-addition-1968 — Page 209

CONFIDENTIAL,

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ADDITIONAL BRIEF

DRAFT BRIEF

STATE

то

FOR VISIT OF HONG KONG MARCH, 1967,

SECRETARY 0f

L

COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO THE KOWLOON

DISTURBANCES 1966

A Commission of Enquiry under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice and consisting

of three other members was appointed in May 1966 to enquire into the disturbances

in Kowloon between 5th and 8th April 1966 and the causes thereof.

report is at present under consideration by the Hong Kong Government.

published as soon as possible, probably in mid-March.

The Commission's

It will be

2. In March 1966 a report of the Transport Advisory Committee on an application by the

Ferry

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Star Trading Co. forafares increased was published. It recommended a small increase

The

in the first class fares. The application aroused public opposition.

subsequent events are summarised in the concluding statement in the Commission's

Report :

(The fares increase)

"On this issue a substantial gap was opened between informed and

in April uninformed opinion through which there came groups of youthful

www

&

demonstrators whose banner carrying, slogan shouting, marches into the

heart of Kowloon during the hours of darkness gave rise to a level, of

and looting excitement and teenage hysteria which spilled over into violence/ on the

violencejo

The violence was continued on

evening of the night of 6th/7th April.

the following night by bands of youths, fortuitily gathered, who had found

in the events of the previous evening so much

Must

attraction

little danger they readily came back for more.

tention and excitement and So

Thereafter, the measures

taken by the police, which had generally been characterised by restraint,

the introduction of earlier curfews and the presence of military forces

proved entirely effective in bringing rioting and disorder to an end,

after a period which had seen considerable physical damage but little

personal injury"

In their examination of the immediate causes of the disturbance the Commission 3.