Cypher/Cat A
SECRET
PRIORITY HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
Telno 103
SECRET
24 January 1968
678
HW
вало
Addressed to Peking telegram No. 51 of 24 January.
Weekly assessment as at 21 0600.
Main events:-
(a) No bomb reports.
REIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
24 JANNo68
MWA 1/17
(b) A number of fireworks, weapons and firearms have been surrendered under the amnesty, but there is nothing to indicate that any have originated from Communist sources.
(c) Police were forced to use tear gas and baton shells to disperse a hostile crowd of about 300 gathered outside a police station to demand the release of the driver of a lorry carrying C.P.G. produce arrested for obstruction and assault. Stones were thrown at police and a newspaper photographer assaulted. Representatives of the major Communist Transport Workers Unions have presented several demands including the release of the driver at police H.Q.
(a) Union meetings continue to propagate. Mao's Works, to discuss wage increases and to organise missions of comfort to families of those killed, injured, imprisoned or unemployed as a result of confrontation. Officials of one Union have claimed that current negotiations between Britain and Peking will result in the re-instatement of those discharged with back pay but at two other Unions, members have been told to ignore rumours of negotiations and to continue to struggle. A smell well behaved Union group visited the Colonial Secretariat and a larger more bellicose one the Labour Department to demand Wage increases.
(e) Communist schools are pre-occupied with end of term examinations which the majority are holding apparently in response to parental pressure. The questions in all papers, including physics and chemistry, are based mainly on the works of Mao and are of a low standard to ensure that the majority achieve good results.
(f) Press attacks continue to concentrate on salinity and devaluation. Allegations were made that Government prevented Communists from siding squatters made homeless in a fire and that the incident at (c) above was "a planned armed suppression of drivers".
g) Senior C.P.G. appointees in local organisations have returned from China having been away since October 1967.
SECRET
/(h) A calm
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