TNAG-0038-FCO40-74-Border-incidents-with-China-1967 — Page 138

C.S. 41A

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30,000-4/65-B47951

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Dear Carter

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Bruch attaches

am sure x is right.

wijz Consider with them.

Plse send copy to EO.

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thirch a short reply expressing agreeivent".

mercquired. ve 2817

COLONIAL SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

21 July, 1967

I have been asked by the Officer Administering

As

the Government to write to you about the present situation obtaining at the frontier bridge at Lo Wu/Shum Chun. you will have seen there have been a number of incidents of a relatively minor nature, but the sum of them is that we have less control over events there than we would like, yet at the same time it is not at all easy to say how we could improve the situation without risking more serious incidents.

2.

follows:

The facts of the position at the border are as

(a) the border between British and Chinese territory

is the northern or further bank of the river;

(b)

(c)

(a)

the bridge, for obvious reasons, does not end exactly on the border and its northern abutment is on Chinese territory the actual border is therefore marked on the bridge by a white post and by a light barrier which can be pulled down across the railway tracks;

in normal times this barrier was pulled down at about 5 p.m. when the border was closed for the night;

in normal times our immigration or police officers on duty were at liberty to walk up to the white post/barrier.

What has happened when we have had demonstrations has been that a crowd has gathered in the station on the Chinese side and has advanced on to the bridge and hurled stones sometimes over the heads of a P.L.A. cordon standing short of the barrier at British officers or simply at the lights on the bridge. Generally they have not passed the barrier. However the other evening a small group, about 10 only, after indulging in a bout of stone throwing attached an effigy of a policeman to the barrier

W. S. Carter, Esq., C.V.O., Commonwealth Office,

LONDON, S.W.1.

RECEN

HWA 4/1

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H.631.

R&R.

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DC Weldon

FED, FO Mine

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