CONFIDENTIAL
258
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Cypher
D. 24 June 1967 R. 24
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IMMEDIATE
CONFIDENTIAL
No.904
D IN
No. 63
Addressed to Commonwealth Office
Repeated
12
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Peking No. 354
" POLAD Singapore No.192 "Washington No.197
(Please pass PRIORITY to all)
(256) My telegram No.894.
Sitrep as at 241 200.
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Order was restored in Kowloon soon after midnight and there have been no further disturbances. Police casualties last night were thirteen injured, of whom four are still in hospital. One civilian was killed and nine injured, eight being detained in hospital. 56 were arrested. One of these fell through a trapdoor in attempting to avoid arrest. He died five hours later in hospital of a ruptured spleen.
2. Despite the Communist call for a strike and the considerable sums they have paid out to support it, the transport situation is encouraging. Only in Kowloon has there been a major disruption, and even here emergency services are being run and increasing in scope. On the Island, trams are running nearly normally while bus services, though restricted, are adequate. At midday, Star ferries are operating normal services, Yaumati ferries 90% normal services. As usual the majority of the population have succeeded in going about their business regardless of transport difficulties.
30 In the rest of the labour field the position is equally encouraging. The two electric companies are short staffed, particularly in Kowloon, but are coping. Some staff has failed to report in the telephone company. In the docks, work on ships alongside has continued at about half normal efficiency, but lighter crews are for the most part on strike. There is little change in the pattern in Government departments already short staffed as a result of previous strikes. There has also been some strike action and withdrawal of labour in textile factories and the sugar refinery, none of it serious.
40 A machine-gun has been erected in Chinese territory near Sha Tau Kok village. At midday a crowd of about 500 pro- Communists collected on one side of the frontier watched by a smaller crowd on the Chinese side. There are over two companies of police in the area trying to reason with the crowd. At about 1315 a police vehicle was set on fire and some attacks made on the police. The local Police Commander has situation in hand and has alerted military units in vicinity to stand by for assistance if necessary.
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