TNAG-0053-FCO40-89-Communist-activities-in-schools-1968 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

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of last year.

authority, this could be more serious particularly if it had

the effect of weakening the confidence of non-communist opinion

in resolve of the Hong Kong Government to maintain its position.

At present however the general position of the Hong Kong

Government is strong and as the Governor has said pressure for

action is sporadic and not at present mounting too rapidly.

In these circumstances it is perhaps unfortunate that his

original telegram was in somewhat alarmist terms and as a

result provoked a correspondingly disproportionate reaction

from Peking. The tactics which have in fact been employed

by the Hong Kong Government have in general been very sensible

and calculated to keep the temperature down.

As regards the challenge to Government

10.

Of the specific measures to counter the influence of

Communist schools referred to in paragraph 5 above (a) the

opening of additional Government schools is obviously desirable.

The Governor is already pressing ahead in this way. (b) and

(a) the tightening up of the Education Ordinance and the

tightening of orieris applied to school premises before

registration have certain attractions. They might be

justified on the grounds that they would be applied without

discrimination to all schools though as the Governor has

recognised them would in practice hit the Communist schools

hardest. We shall wish to look carefully at the implications

of (c)

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the refusal of the application for further night primary

schools - when the Governor is in London.

11.

A... it appears that Communist plans for expansion have now

CONFIDENTIAL

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