TNAG-0011-FCO40-47-Kowloon-disturbances-1967 — Page 197

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precisely there is no doubt that the origins were amongst the

local Communists in Hong Kong.

MR. MAXWELL: Wld my h F consider that whereas the

present manifestatns and demonstratns were only a try-out,

if she and her Dept will do nothing to reorganise local govt

in order to enable thepeople, through political expressn, to

support the Governor and orderly govt, we are likely to land

ourselves into the kind of trouble which we may not be able to

hold without a considerable amount of bloodshed and threat

to the peace of the world?

MRS. HART: Without discussing the merits of the arguments

that my h F has put forward, I wH counsel him to read the

Adjournment debate a month or so ago bec as he will see there,

I expressed very clearly the fact that we welcomed the publicatn

of the report of the local govt inquiry in Hong Kong.

We

are now waiting to see what the local reactns are, and we are

very much hoping that something can be done along those lines.

SIR D. WALKER-SMITH: Can the h Lady say what steps

are being taken to prevent any repetitn of the dangerous and

improper use of the headquarters of the Communist Bank of

China for incitement, following the occasn on wh it evidently

did much to increase the difficulties of the police and the

authorities, to whom I wld like to join in payg tribute?

MRS, HART: May I say that I know how very much the

tributes that have been paid to police and to the Governor

on all sides of the House will be appreciated in Hong Kong.

As to the involvement of the Bank of China, the Governor has

certain powers to deal as he thinks best with a matter of this

kind. One of the most effective things that he did was to

counter the propaganda from the Bank of China by what he called

"light-hearted Chinese music". We must leave it to the Governor

to exercise his discretn, knowing that he has powers to do

whatever is necessary to be effective.

MR. CHARLES FLETCHER-COOKE: Wld the h Lady, besides

stimulating further legislatn in the labour sphere, have a look

at the educational and youth services areas? Is she aware that

a great number of the rioters leave school at the age of lw and

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