TNAG-0011-FCO40-47-Kowloon-disturbances-1967 — Page 28

SECRET

INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)

Cypher

D. 16 June 1967 R. 16

"T

0850Z

PRIORITY

SECRET

No.854

10

246

JUN

1967**

#1

12

10

2

9

3.

8

7

G 5

COPY FOA

FOK RUGISTRATION

Addressed to Commonwealth Office Repeated to: Peking No. 339

POLAD Singapore No.180 Washington No.187

(C.O. please pass to all)

My telegram No.808.

Hong Kong Disturbances.

R29

I.I.C. assessment of the situation as at 1200 hours

June 16th is as follows:-

The principal features of the Communist confrontation with the Government over the past week have been:

(a) The attempt by the Struggle Committees of the

Government, Armed Forces and Hospitals' Chinese Workers' Union (GAFHCWU), the Marine Department Chinese Workers' Union, the Postal Workers' Union and the Waterworks Chinese Employees' Union, to call a joint strike of all members together with employees of public utility companies and the Dairy Farm Company, from 10th June. This attempt met with limited success, only the Gas Company and Dairy Farm being seriously affected, initially at any rate. Firm action by the Government Departments and the private companies concerned in suspending and dismissing workers, had a salutary effect. Consequently, apart from minor disruptions to deliveries of milk and the production of ice, the strikes caused little or no disruption of essential services.

RECEIVED

IN ARCHIVES No. 63 19 JUN:967

HWA 1/1

(b)

The attempt to call token strikes by food stall- holders and hawkers, building trade workers and tradesmen in the wood-carving industry. Here again, these moves received little more than marginal support. Although efforts were made to put pressure on hawkers who deal in mainland foodstuffs, the vast majority ignored the threats to curtail their supplies and the only real success was among dealers in pork and eggs. This was the first occasion that the confronta- tion, in terms of strikes, entered the economic sphere;

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