TNAG-0038-FCO40-74-Border-incidents-with-China-1967 — Page 156

SECRET

INWARD TELEGRAM

TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)

92

FROM HONG KONG (0.A.G.)

Cypher

D. 14 July, 1967.

#1

Ro

14

09502

IMMEDIATE SECRET

No. 1035.

Prisciala HWA 1/17

Addressed to Commonwealth Office.

Repeated

**

17

Peking No. 411.

" POLAD Singapore No. 240.

"Washington No. 226. (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:-

(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. a result of one of these opposite Lo Wu, on 12 July, a number of villagers have evacuated their homes;

(b)

(0)

RECEIVED IN

ARCHIVES No. 63 1/ JULIYO7

HWA 4/1

As

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;

Police

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. have been compelled to use gas and firearms on 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 of 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 Communist meetings, of a mass funeral procession to be held towards the end of this month. The bodies of seven

/workers

SECRET