Cypher
CONFIDENTIAL
OUTWARD TELEGRAM
FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
(The Secretary of State)
TO HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Sent 24 May, 1967. 1950Z
140
ATION
CONFIDENTIAL
No. 1029.
123
Following telegram of 23 May from Tamsui addressed
to Foreign Office No. 21 repeated for information to Political Adviser Hong Kong No. 7, Peking and Washington.
Begins.
General themes of local press comment on recent events
in Hong Kong have been:-
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
20
Britain is paying the penalty for having perpetually bowed and scraped to Peking since 1950;
the authorities in Hong Kong are standing firm and will not cower before pressure from Peking as did Portuguese in Macao, Nevertheless they have been too lenient and should get tougher with rioters;
pro-Nationalist in Hong Kong should offer large scale resistance to rioters.
There has been much speculation here that disturbances will result in flight of capital and trained workers to Formosa but although Nationalists would no doubt welcome this, "Government" sources have denied they will entice them away.
3. Sub-paragraph 1(iii) is unlikely to represent views of Nationalist leaders here. My information from (group undecypherable) sources is that leaders advocate restraint and non-involvement by their supporters in Hong Kong and are encouraging them to co-operate with the authorities. This attitude would almost certainly change if it were thought that Her Majesty's Government were likely to reach some form of settlement resulting in suppression of nationalist organisations in the Colony.
Distribution
*
LAST
IF.
123
H.K.W.I.D. 'C'
CONFIDENTIAL
лада
Ends.
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
HWAY/17
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