TNAG-0003-FCO40-39-Commission-of-Enquiry-into-the-Kowloon-disturbances-addition-1968 — Page 34

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PART III THE DISTURBANCES

would attract a crowd. In the event, the courtroom was packed and a number of SO's supporters, including LO Kei and Miss LUI who had come over from Kowloon to attend the proceedings, could not gain admittance. The evidence suggests that the attendance of some of the demonstrators at these proceedings was not coincidental and that LO Kei had arranged during the demonstrations of the previous evening for some to attend the court proceedings and some to go to the Star Ferry to continue the protests.

110. After the conclusion of the court hearings, at which SO pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded on bail put up by his father, the demonstra- tors apparently split into several groups. SO himself, who was cheered on leaving the court, went to the Star Ferry Concourse where he addressed a crowd of passers-by. A big crowd quickly gathered and SO was warned by a policeman to leave. He got into a taxi and was driven home before more police arrived. The crowd then dispersed without incident.

111. Visit to Reform Club. Meanwhile, LO Kei and Miss LUI proceeded to visit the Reform Club, in accordance with the advice given by Mr. BERNACCHI outside the Urban Council Chamber on the previous evening. They were accom- panied by one Frankie YUEN, who told us he had been following the activities of the demonstrators merely with 'curiosity', and arrived at the Reform Club premises at 11 a.m. There they found two young workers called LEE Tak Yee and MOK Lok Wai; these, they claimed, they had never met before in spite of the fact that they had all taken part in the demonstration of the previous evening; the two groups also claimed that they came independently to make a statement to the club. At the Reform Club, these five persons made statements which were recorded by the Organizing Secretary, Mr. Patrick WONG, for Mr. BERNACCHI's information and they were told to telephone in the afternoon, when Mr. WONG would tell them at what time a meeting with Mr. BERNACCHI could be arranged. The statements recounted the events of the previous day and night and gave prominence to allegations of police violence in arresting demonstrators, which the authors (Miss LUI and Frankie YUEN could not have seen if their own evidence as to their movements on that night is to be believed. It seems from the statements given and from their own evidence that the aim of this visit was to obtain the general support and the use of the facilities of the Reform Club, in order to elicit support from the press and radio and from other organizations and to attract the personal attention and interest of public figures such as Mr. BERNACCHI, by seeking his advice-although it is problematical whether they ever intended to follow it-on how to keep further demonstrations within the law. It seems there was already every intention at this stage to proceed with further action.

112. Whilst at the Reform Club premises, LO Kei wrote out, in the form of a petition which he later presented at Government House, a copy of the statement which he had made to Mr. WONG.

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