TNAG-0009-FCO40-45-Kowloon-disturbances-1967 — Page 142

En Clair

IMMEDIATE

PEKING

ΤΟ

FOREIGN OFFICE

15 May, 1967

Te vo 479

UNCLASSIFIED

Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 479 of 15 May, Repeated for information Immediate Hong Kong, Priority POLAD Singapore and Washington.

2.

My telegram No. 478.

First part of Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement as follows:

"On the afternoon of 6 May 1967, Chinese workers of the Hong Kong Sanpokong Artificial Plastic Flower Works launched a struggle against intensified capitalist exploitation. To shield capital and suppres labour, the British Authorities in Hong Kong brazenly turned out on the same day more than two hundred armed policemen and "riot police", sanguinarily suppressing the workers of the factory and other Chinese residents, beating and wounding many of them and arresting twentyone persons, afterwards, they also arrested the President of the Federation of the Rubber and Plastic Trade Unions and Workers' Representatives, who went to a Hong Kong police station to protest. On the afternoon of the 11th, the British Authorities in Hong Kong carried out another sanguinary suppression on an even bigger scale by turning loose on the bare handed workers, representatives of various circles and young students large numbers of armed troops, policemen and "riot Police" totalling more than 1,000, who repeatedly attacked them with clubs, riot guns and tear bombs and even turning out military vehicles and helicopters.

Many persons (including newsmen, cameramen and journalists) were arrested. After the 12th the British Authorities in Hong Kong had continued large scale arrests of the demonstrating masses. By the morning of the 14th, more than 400 have been arrested. At present, the situation is still being aggravated. It must be pointed out that these large scale sanguinary atrocities perpetrated by the British Authorities in Hong Kong are the result of long premeditation and are a component part of the British Government's scheme of collusion with United States imperialism against China.

On the

one hand, in coordination with the United States imperialist war escalation in Viet Nam, the British Government is continuing to [corrupt word the United States with Hong Kong as a base for aggression against Viet Nam in disregard of the repeated solemn warnings of the Chinese Government and on the other, it is steadily stepping up various hostile measures against China in Hong Kong. Particularly since the unfolding of the great proletarian cultural revolution in China. The British Authorities in Hong Kong have carried out repeated military and police manoeuvres hostile to China and aimed at the sanguinary suppression of Chinese residents in Hong Kong, vainly attempting to exclude the great influence of China's great proletarian cultural revolution by high handed tactics. The persecution of Chinese residents and workers by the British Authorities in Hong Kong by making use of the labour capital dispute of the Artificial Plastic Flower Works is big explosive of this criminal plan of sanguinary suppression. Their Fascist atrocities have aroused boundless indignation among the Chinese residents in Hong Kong and the entire Chinese people, The Chinese Government hereby

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REF.

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f.f.

30 92957

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