TNAG-0009-FCO40-45-Kowloon-disturbances-1967 — Page 136

Cypher

COPY FOR REGISTRATION

SECRET

INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)

D. 15th May, 1967.

R. 15th

警量

1000Z

!!

MAY

19

·15!

12

$

6 3

35

FLASH SECRET

No. 609.

Addressed to Commonwealth Office

Repeated

#1

11

Peking No.223.

POLAD Singapore No.91 (Please pass FLASH to both)

My telegram No. 607.27)

Hong Kong.

RECEIVED IN

ARCHIVES No. 63

150

Head in

The position on the ground at 1400 hours today 15th May remained quiet. There are no indications of unusual occurrences in the frontier area.

20

But it is clear that as a result of the Chinese M.F.A. 's statement we are now very near indeed to facing the

choices mentioned in paragraph 4 of my telegram No. 600. The demands leave little leeway for negotiation.

We cannot offer apologies or compensation or even provide effective 豐 guarantees against the occurrence of similar incidents without accepting a situation in which the left-wing here are above the law. Some of those arrested have already been sentenced and though acts of clemency might be

justifiable in certain cases, they certainly would not be in all. Again while the disposal of the 20 original offenders is still within the jurisdiction of the courts and some might be bound over, this cannot of course be guaranteed.

30

It may well be worth attempting during the next 48 hours (if the court hearings are adjourned) to discover whether behind the demands there is really any scope for negotiation. We are pursuing our efforts in this direction, but it seems unlikely that any thing usefull will result.

4.

If the left-wing stick firmly by the four demands, we must face the fact that any further attempt to seek a compromise would in the middle-term at any rate mean an abdication of our position here. Hong Kong would almost at once cease to be attractive to investment; the problem of maintaining any control or authority over left-wing activities would intensify; and H.M.G. would not only be discredited but saddled with an increasing economic burden. In my view this position would only be tolerable if our aim was to buy time in order to negotiate an orderly withdrawal (even if the Chinese allowed us to achieve that).

SECRET

LACT

27

7501

36-5470

PAGO