TNAG-0012-FCO40-48-Kowloon-disturbances-1967 — Page 24

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INWARD TELEGRAMOPY FOR REGISTRATION

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

FROM HONG KONG (0.A.G.)

173 JUL

9

# 12

1967

3

Cypher

Do

14 July, 1967.

11

095OZ

Ro

14

IMMEDIATE

SECRET

No. 1035.

Cons

in HWAY/1

Addressed to Commonwealth Office.

Repeated

#1

"Peking No. 411.

" POLAD Singapore No. "Washington No. 226.

240.

(Please pass

PRIORITY to all).

Following is weekly assessment of the situation as at

midnight 13/14 July.

The principal features of the Communist confrontation

with Government over the past week have been;-

294)

(a)

the incident at Sha Tau Kok on the 8 July (see detailed reports). Since then there have been no new incursions from China, but, regular demonstrations have taken place on the Chinese side of the border. As a result of one of these opposite Lo Wu, on 12 July, a number of villagers have evacuated their homes;

(b) a C.P.G. protest to the Chargé d'Affaires in Peking

which alleged that the Sha Tau Kok incident had been instigated by the British and included several demands for compensation, apologies, etc. This protest, which was rejected, received widespread publicity in the local Left Wing press which made no reference to the British protest on this event;

(c)

an increase in violence in the urban areas of the Colony on 9 July (telegram 999 paragraph 3) which has since been renewed each day. Public transport and police have been the main targets for attack. Police have been compelled to use gas and firearms or a number of occasions to disperse the crowds and in self-defence. A variety of weapons have been used by the rioters including bottles filled with a corrosive liquid and home-made bombs which have been thrown from buildings at police vehicles and, on two occasions, at police stations. Curfews were imposed on parts of Hong Kong Island on the nights of the 11 and 12 July, and on parts Or Kowloon on the night of 12 July. One police constable and four rioters were killed during the incidents and many injuries, mostly of a minor nature, were suffered by both sides.

the holding of further memorial services by individual Communist organisations for the workers who have died in

the confrontation. There has been more talk at

MES No. 60mmunist meetings, of a mass funeral procession to be held

J. 1967

HWA 1

towards the end of this month. The bodies of seven

/workers

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