TNAG-0066-FCO40-102-Local-intelligence-reports-1968 — Page 7

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VICINITY OF THE BANK OF CHINA BUILDING CTELEGRAM NO. 20460.

CROWDS ALSO FORMED IN THE VICINITY OF THE BANK ON THE NEXT TWO

EVENINGS (TELEGRAMS 2054 AND 2057) DURING WHICH THERE WAS SOME

CHANTING AND JEERING, AND POLICE WERE AGAIN REQUIRED TO CLEAR

THE AREA SEMICOLON THREE PERSONS WERE ARRESTED ON 3RD OCTOBER. SINCE

THEN THERE HAVE BEEN NO FURTHER INCIDENTS AND DECORATIONS WERE

REMOVED FROM THE MAJORITY OF COMMUNIST PREMISES, INCLUDING THE

BANK ON 5TH OCTOBER AS SCHEDULED CTELEGRAM 20627, ON THE EVENINGS

OF 2ND TO 4TH OCTOBER, COMMUNIST OFFICIALS ATTEMPTED TO CONTROL THEIR

SUPPORTERS AREA BUT, EXCEPT FOR THE LAST NIGHT, INDIVIDUAL MILITANTS

BECAME EXCITED AND PROVOKED MINOR INCIDENTS. CLEARLY THE LOCAL

COMMUNIST LEADERS REMAIN ANXIOUS TO AVOID ANY RESURGENCE OF

VIOLENCE AND GENERALLY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN RESTRAINING THEIR

SUPPORTERS.

(B) PROTESTS ABOUT POLICE INTERFERENCE WITH THE CROWDS OUTSIDE THE

BANK OF CHINA NADE BY THE HONG KONG DIRECTOR OF THE NEW CHINA

NEWS AGENCY, BY THE MANAGER OF THE BANK, AND BY OTHER COMMUNIST

CONCERNS CTELEGRAMS 2057, 2063, AND 2064), WITH FAIRLY WIDE PUBLIC-

-ITY IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS, THE SUBJECT WAS GIVEN LESS PROMINENCE

BY 6TH CCTOBER. THE LOCAL HIERARCHY PROBABLY FEELS THAT THESE

COMPARITIVELY MILD PROTESTS ARE THE MINIMUM NECESSARY TO

ASSUAGE THEIR FOLLOWERS AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE

UTHORITIES IN CHINA WILL FORMALLY ENDORSE THEM. IT APPEARS UNLIKELY,

AT PRESENT, THAT THIS ISSUE WILL BECOME MORE THAN A PROPAGANDA

ISSUE,

(C) SOME PUBLIC SINGING AND CHANTING DURING A PROCESSION ON AN OUT-

LYING ISLAND BY A NUMBER OF FISHERMEN RETURNING FROM CELEBRATIONS

IN CHINA SEMICOLON THE GROUP AT FIRST REFUSED TO OBEY POLICE ORDERS

TO DESIST BUT LATER DISPERSED PEACEFULLY BEFORE POLICE REINFORCE-

MENTS INTERVENED CTELEGRAM 20400.

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/(D) THE DISCOVERY