TNAG-0052-FCO40-88-Communist-activities-in-schools-1968 — Page 108

Cypher/Cat A

CONFIDENTIAL

PRIORITY PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Telno. 577

19

TOP COPY

19 June 1968

HW

CONFIDENTIAL

Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 577 of 19 June, Repeated for information to Hong Kong.

18.

Hong Kong telegram No. 765: Chungwah High School.

The proposal to deregister. the school at this stage raises issues on which I should like to comment.

2. First as regards Peking's reaction, we can be sure that it will be sharp. They will see this as a new political persecution, a move against Communist schools in Hong Kong and a breach of assurances given in our statement of 13 April (see paragraph 5 below). As I have pointed out in earlier correspondence, they are specially sensitive about moves against them in the propaganda and education fields. I agree there is likely to be a protest, there may be demonstrations in Hong Kong and the position of this Mission and British subjects in China are likely to suffer in consequence.

3. The Chinese reaction will be sharper because of timing of deregistration. The Executive Council's advice was given in early December at a time of violence. It is now 7 to 8 months since the incident occurred during which time Communist tactics have changed. After so long an interval attempts to present deregistration as something other than a new attack on Communist education and to explain it in terms of an incident last November will not carry much conviction.

move.

4. There are three outstanding arguments advanced for this The first is a retrospective argument i.e. that bombs were manufactured on the premises last November. But the persons involved were punished at the time. We cannot surely maintain that guilt attaches permanently to the school; on this principle a large number of institutions in Hong Kong would be permanently banned. Nor are teachers and pupils likely to make bombs now; the campaign of violence is over. I would have thought it in our interests to avoid digging up the past and to concentrate on possibility of peaceful coexistence with Communists inside Hong Kong now and in the future.

5.

The second argument is that deregistration would strike at plans for Communist education in Hong Kong. This raises the question of whether our object is to stop or obstruct Communist education in the colony. My understanding of our policy is that we do not object to Communist schools as such;

/our objection

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