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2.
(f)
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اليابانية
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Continued anti-British propaganda in the Communist Press on unemployment, 'gift rice' the two film stars and water salinity The only new subject was a demand that Government identify the graves of Communist 'martyrs' to enable visits to be made during the forthcoming Chinese 'Ching Ming' festival.
4.
(g) Quiet in the border area. On the 27th March CPG customs officials replaced Mao portraits and wrote anti-Imperialist slogans on a newly painted Kowloon Canton Railway (K.C.R.) shunting engine when it entered Chinese territory (C.T.) there were no slogans containing personal attacks on Hong Kong Govern- ment officials.
(h)
The completion of rural committee elections in the New Territories (N.T.) resulting in a general loss of Communist representation; of the 27 rural committees elected, only one is Communist controlled and 3 Communist influenced.
(i)
The continued entry into the colony of illegal immigrants; 91 were arrested during the week bringing the total for March to 431, compared with 766 for February. No attempts at repatriation were made.
While union members continue to express dissatisfaction at the directive to return to work, many now appear to have accepted there is little alternative but to try, if strike pay is to be discontinued. However there is some confusion among union officials as to how to go about obtaining re-instatement for their members. lectures given in Canton to Hong Kong workers indicate clearly that the campaign is being conducted at the direction of authorities in China.
The
30 The approach made to the management of a bus company by the Motor Transport Workers' Union (M.T.W.U,) is the first overt move in the campaign by Communist unions to re-establish their position in bus companies and public utilities by re-installing their members in employment there. It will be of interest to see if and how union officials attempt to explain this rebuff to members after their previous claims that re-instatement was imminent. The two taxi companies which have re-employed a number of 'strikers' give as their reasons a shortage of recruits and the willingness of these drivers to accept night work. Similar reasons may persuade other small concerns to follow suit, despite the obvious potential dangers of allowing Communist influence to re-assert itself among their staff. No doubt too, these concessions will be claimed as a 'victory' by the Communists and regarded as a foothold which can be used to encourage other strikers to be more persistant in their endeavour to resume former employment.
4. The local Communist movement still appears to be drifting somewhat without any real impetus, even in the Labour field where a definite goal has been set. The campaign to assist squatters, thus exploiting possible greivances, could also lead to a strengthened position in resettlement areas. Continued picnic parties to the New Territories represent an area of some success, although their local propaganda value to the Communists may have been offset to some extent by the loss of influence suffered during the recent rural elections. Nevertheless, persistent usage of these functions for
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/indoctrinisation
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