Cypher
SECRET
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 6 June, 1967. R. 6
13372
IMMEDIATE
SECRET
No. 785,
RECEIVED IN adressed to Commonwealth Office (D.T.bs).
ARCHIVES Nopeated
- 7 JUN 1967
"Peking No. 317.
"P.A. Singapore No. 165.
"Washington No. 169. (Please pass
PRIORITY to all).
HUAIN
221
SITREP at 061900.
My telegram No. 770.-209
There has been no strong Communist reaction to the removal of posters, nor has there been any concerted attempt to replace them.. On the other hand, their removal has been made the excuse for a further series of token strikes of which there have been six so far with at least one more rumoured for the near future, There has, as yet, been no reaction to the H.M.S. BULWARK incident.
2.
Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) maintenance crews staged a token stoppage affecting two shifts on 5 June against Hong Kong Government brutality'. Very few new posters were put up on KMB vehicles however. On 6 June, the majority of Star ferries carried new posters. This could be an attempt to test our reactions but it is possible that the crews acted on their own initiative. The intention is for the police to remove these posters tonight. Elsewhere in the Colony there has been no increase in poster activity. The emphasis is now on displaying local Communist newspapers, particularly special editions. It is of interest that the CPG-owned Bank of Communications has removed its inflammatory displays and substituted newspapers. Prosecution action against Communist premises still displaying inflammatory material is being prepared.
3. There have been token stoppages today among cargo supervisors, electric meter readers, tailoring and lighthouse maintenance workers, in Kowloon docks and in the Taikoo dockyard. In the last case, two Europeans were cornered and detained for several hours. Violence seemed likely and there was some intimidation of right-wing and neutral workers. The situation eased during the afternoon and the workers dispersed peacefully at 1700. The Government dockyard continues to operate on a much reduced scale. There are forecasts of further stoppages in the next few days, notably in the urban
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