TNAG-0040-FCO40-76-Border-incidents-with-China-1968 — Page 51

CONFIDENTIAL

GOPY

258

W

CYPHER/CAT'A'

FLASH HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 699

CONFIDENTIAL.

TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

30 MAY 1968.

· ADDRESSED COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AS MY TELEGRAM NO. 699 DATED 30TH MAY

REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO PEKING, PA SINGAPORE, WASHINGTON, AND

UKREP CANBERRA.

INCIDENT AT LO WU.

AT ABOUT 10、A.M. ON WEDNESDAY 29 MAY, POLICE PARTY WERE PRACTICE

FIRING GAS PISTOLS ON SAN UK LING RANGE (SOME TWO MILES EAST OF LO WU

AND ABOUT 1000 YARDS SOUTH OF BORDER). AS THE GAS WAS DISPERSED BY

WIND IT EVIDENTLY AFFECTED PERSONS WORKING IN FIELDS, FOR AT 1220

A GROUP OF SOME 20 HAKKA WOMEN, ALL BELIEVED TO BE RÉSIDENTS OF

C.T. WHO REGULARLY CROSS INTO B.T. TO FARM CAME TO POLICE POST AT

LO WU TO COMPLAIN. THEY MAINTAINED THAT TEAR GAS GRENADES HAD BEEN

THROWN AT THEM.

5

2. THE CROWD AT POLICE POST GRADUALLY INCREASED TO ABOUT 50 AND

BECAME UNFRIENDLY. THEY DEMANDED A WRITTEN APOLOGY AND GUARANTEE

OF NON-RECURRENCE.

3. AT 2 P.M. FOUR DEMANDS WERE PRESENTED TO POLICE:

(A) INVESTIGATION TO BE HELD,

(B) INCIDENT NOT TO BE ALLOWED TO RECUR,

(C) CULPRITS TO BE PUNISHED,

(D) WRITTEN GUARANTEE ON NON-RECURRENCE.

4. AT 3 P.M. YOUTHS FROM C.T. STONED OUR IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS ON

BRIDGE AND THEY HAD TO WITHDRAW BUT THE BRIDGE WAS NOT CLOSED AND

THERE WAS NO INTERFERENCE WITH CROSSING PASSENGERS. CLEARANCE ON

IN

63

/B.T.

CONFIDENTIAL

13

LASI

REF.

4WD 4/1

k

259,262

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