TNAG-0039-FCO40-75-Border-incidents-with-China-1967 — Page 185

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CYPHER/CAT A

IMMEDIATE HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (D.T.D.)

TELNO 1596

CONFIDENTIAL

30 OCTOBER, 1967

ADDRESSED TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NO.1596 OF 30 OCTOBER REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO POLAD SINGAPORE, WASHINGTON, PEKING AND

CANBERRA. MAN KAM TO.

}

AT 1430 AN UNARMED CROWD WITH BANNERS FORMED UP ABOUT 200 YARDS

SIDE. AN HOUR LATER IT WAS FROM THE BRIDGE ON THE C.T.

ABOUT 500 STRONG (PROBABLY INCLUDING SOME MILITIA.) AND. THERE WAS A BROADCAST OF PROTEST AGAINST THE BRIDGE BEING CLOSED.

AT 1600 A GROUP OF ABOUT 70 CINCLUDING SOME MILITIA) WAS ALLOWED

ON TO THE BRIDGE BY THE C.C.A. WHOSE NORMAL GUARD HAD BEEN INCREASED. THEY THREW STONES AT THE BARRIER AND THEN TRIED TO PULL IT DOWN.

TEAR GAS WAS USED WITHOUT EFFECT, SO A PHOSPHOROUS GRENADE

THE C C A WAS THROWN, THE REPLY TO WHICH WAS A STICK GRENADE. THEN CLEARED THE BRIDGE BUT DID NOT PREVENT SMALL GROUPS RUNNING

FORWARD TO TRY TO DAMAGE THE BARRIER.

OUR TROOPS USED FOUR MORE

PHOSPHOROUS GRENADES AND TWO MORE STICK GRENADES WERE THROWN

THERE WAS

BY THE OPPOSITION, SLIGHTY WOUNDING ONE OF OUR MEN. THEN A LULL DURING WHICH WE BROADCAST A WARNING THAT THE NEXT

GRENADE THROWER WOULD BE SHOT.

2.

AT 1650 AND 1718, THERE WERE C.T. BROADCASTS COMPLAINING

THAT WE WERE CAUSING THE TROUBLE AND THAT ALTHOUGH WE CLAIMED TO BE INTERESTED IN NEGOTIATIONS, OUR ACTIONS DID NOT MATCH OUR WORDS WE REPLIED THAT WE HAD OFFERED TO ARRANGE DISCUSSIONS

WITHOUT RESPONSE AND WERE STILL WILLING TO TALK.

MEETING AT LOWU WAS PROPOSED.

AN IMMEDIATE

RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63)

310C7:967

RET

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