TNAG-0065-FCO40-101-Local-intelligence-reports-1968 — Page 145

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leader of the delegation, YEUNG Kwong, Chairman of the F.T.U. and

Chairman of the All Circles Committee. The statement said inter alia

that "Trench must shoulder all serious consequences arising from his

attitude".

12.

In other parts of the Colony an anti-Government poster

campaign preaching sedition and disaffection gathered momentum and

loudspeaker broadcasts from various C.P.G. owned premises, including

the Bank of China, began. These broadcasts were particularly

vitriolic and vituperative.

It became obvious that the communists

were attempting by every means in their power to exert as much

pressure as possible on Government and the Police Force and,

in particular, to provoke the latter into making some move in

retaliation which could be used as fuel for the continuation of the

struggle. It was clear that the local communists believed (in spite

of the support given to them by the statement from Pekint) that

for the time being at least they would have to go it alone and that

they were fully prepared and confident that they could do so

successfully on the Macau pattern.

13.

On the evening of the 20th May, Government decided to call

a halt to the Government House attacks and announced that the law.

relating to the banning of disorderly processions and unlawful

gatherings would be strictly enforced. However, on the morning

of 21st Lay, attempts to march on Government House in strength were

renewed and when they were prevented, the Central District of Hong

Kong became the focal point for rioting. By the middle of the

morning, organised groups of communists had assembled at the bottom

of Garden Road, where police were barring the way. They were

stopped and informed that they would be permitted to visit

Government House provided they split up into orderly parties of not

more than twenty. This they refused to do and the crowd began to

swell despite attempts by the Police to disperse them peacefully.

After hurling abuse at the Folice, the mood of the crowd became

ugly; between 1 and 2 p.m. violence erupted and a umber of windows

were broken in queen's Road Central. The rest of the afternoon

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