ول
Cypher
IMMEDIATE
CONFIDENTIAL
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (0.A.G.)
D. 10 July, 1967.
Ro
CONFIDENTIAL
No. 999.
10
1100Z
Onjinal a HWB1/17
Addressed to Commonwealth Office
Repeated
17
量
#1
10
it
Peking No.402,
POLAD Singapore No.229,
Washington No.221 and Canberra No.58
(Commonwealth Office please to all PRIORITY)
Sitrep as at 101 800.
There were, in addition to the Sha Tau Kok clash,
six minor demonstrations in Hong Kong on Saturday 8 July. During Sunday 9 July there were a series of scattered incidents, mainly on the island, on the same lines, which appear to have been deliberately created in the hope of aggravating the situation arising from the events at Sha Tau Kok. became violent.
These
2.
On Saturday at midday students from Communist- controlled schools in groups of 150-200 staged three demonstrations on Hong Kong island and one in Kowloon. These were short, well disciplined and dispersed quickly of their own accord. In each case they were held in the vicinity of a mainland products store and it is probable that had the police had to disperse them there could have been serious counter attacks from these stores. At about the same time a similar demonstration was ataged on the island by employees of the C.P.G.-owned commercial press near their own building. At 20.30 hours there was a repetition on a smaller scale, again on the island, outside a China products store. There is no indication that these demonstrations had any connection with the Sha Tau Kok incident. Their aim appeared to be to boost Communist morale and discipline and to provide propaganda material.
3.
On Saturday, trouble broke out in the late afternoon and was on Hong Kong island and was centred mainly in the eastern districts of North Point and Wanchai. The focal point was the Wah Fung China Products Company which was used as a base by demonstrators who retreated inside when police arrived, emerging again and again to cause trouble. In the western district a police unit was attacked while debussing to investigate a student demonstration. Iron bars and cargo hooks were used by the crowd. The police
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CONFIDENTIAL
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