CONFIDENTIAL
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
JUL
# 12
FROM HONG KONG (0.A.G.)
Cypher
D. 5 July 1967
R. 5
091.02
LAST
REF.
188
PRIORITY
NEX
CONFIDENTIAL
REF.
No.968
89
1967
RECEIVED IN. ARCHIVES No. 63
-5 JULIJOI
нила
%
88)
Addressed to Commonwealth Office
Repeated
Lisbon No.M.452 (S. of S. please pass)
Lisbon telegram No.283 to Foreign Office.
Macao.
REGISTRATION
I hope that it will prove possible to say something to the Portuguese Government on this issue. Radio Vila Verde continues to put out offensive communist propaganda for two hours a day. In addition, anti-British rallies are now held in Macao at frequent intervals; there have been attempts to boycott British goods; posters denouncing H.M.G. and the Hong Kong Government have been plastered on a great number of buildings and effigies of the Governor of Hong Kong and other officials hung from lamposts.
2.
It seems to us that the Portuguese Government may not be fully aware of these developments, nor know how far the Macao administration have allowed matters in the province generally to get out of control. Our hope would be that if the facts about Radio Vila Verde were put to them plainly they might be sufficiently shocked to instruct the Governor to take a firmer line.
3. It is clear that many Portuguese in Macao are becoming increasingly dissatisfied at the inert attitude of the Governor. On 24 June a corporal in the Garrison was detained by the communists after an incident at the end of an anti-British demonstration; and was not released until the administration had proffered apologies for his alleged misbehaviour. We learn from usually reliable sources that this new humiliation provoked something like a mutiny in the Garrison as a result of which a company commander and up to 90 soldiers were arrested and are to be sent home to Portugal. It also appears that recent communist attempts to insist that all schools in Macao should appoint a teacher of Mao's Thoughts to their staff and allot space in curricula for the study of his works have proved a great irritation among the Portuguese. There are suggestions that the Bishop, who returned to Macao last week, may be preparing to resist the communist schemes.
40 In the circumstances, it seems to us not impossible that pressure from Lisbon could have some effect in stiffening the attitude of the Macao authorities.
(Passed as requested with advance copies for F.0. F.E.Dept. and
Commonwealth Secretary's Private Office)
/Distribution
CONFIDENTIAL
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