441
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TOP COPY!!
4 September 1967
"HW
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (D.T.D.)
Telno. 134.5
SECRET
Addressed to C.0. telegram No. 1345 of 4 September Repeated for information to:
POLAD Singapore, Washington, Canberra.
For Commonwealth and Cabinet Offices.
For JIC from LIC.
The principal features of the Communist confrontation during the period from 28 August to 4 September have been:-
(a) the continuation of bomb incidents marked by an increase in the use of gelignite; 3 25 bomb reports were received of which 70 proved to be genuine. 54 were detonated by bomb disposal teams, whilst 16 exploded on impact or before the arrival of bomb disposal personnel. A member of a military team was killed when attempting to dismantle a bomb. On 3 September an officer of the Fire Brigade was killed when a gelignite bomb exploded outside a Fire Station in Victoria. This explosion also injured 2 police officers, four fire brigade officers and five civilians. Three other bombs later exploded in the area injuring a further 3 civilians and 3 police vehicles were damaged. Another police officer was seriously injured when a gelignite "booby trap" exploded. On 3 September a further ten civilians were injured when a tin exploded in Kowloon. A civilian has died of injuries received on 25 August when a bomb was thrown at a party of police. During the week two postal times bombs exploded without causing injury. Eight arrests have been made of persons throwing or in possession of real bombs and six have been arrested in possession of" hoax" bombs; all have been charged. A total of 7 persons have been killed since these acts of Communist terrorism began.
(b) Increased involvment of members of Communist Unions in the terrorist campaign. On 30 August in Kowloon, a member of the Motor Transport Workers Union was shot in the leg and arrested after he had thrown a bomb at police. On the same day an unemployed member of the Spinning Weaving and Dyeing Trade Workers General Union (S.W.D.T.W.G.U.) was arrested in Victoria in possession of a gelignite bomb, with which he intended to attack the H.Q. of the Hong Kong Regiment. Subsequent enquiries led to the recovery of a further six bombs and threee sticks of gelignite Following a "booby trap" explosion which injured a police officer, raids were carried out on 2 September at a resettlement estate in the Tsuen Wan area during which 2 members of the S.W.D.T.W.G.U. were arrested for possession of four gelignite bombs. They have admitted responsibility for several bomb incidents in Tsuen Wan. During a search of squatter huts on a hillside above Victoria on 30 August, police discovered a bomb making centre at which they seized a live bomb, a number of incomplete bombs and a quantity of explosives and timing devices. Instructions on the manufacture of bombs and a number of uniform caps with red
star badges were found also but there were no arrests
arrestЯć)
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