TNAG-0077-FCO40-113-Action-against-Communist-press-1967 — Page 182

Air ville Gerner

Minister of State

RECEIVED IN

ARCHIVES No. 63

- & JUN 190/

HWA'lo

26

(1) Mr. Gamfara

8/6.

(2)

H631 -for reg

Lon

In 2 E

6/6

In his telegram 768 the Governor points out that action la being taken to deal with inflamatory posters, but it may not be possible to avoid action iso being taken "against the Communist pross for its contined grose scurrilities". Although he could take action against the newspapers and printing works under the

mergency Legulations, he is also considering:

(1) to refuse to allow selcctcd N.C.H.A. and newspaper officials now in China (there are at present three such) to return;

or

(11) to refuse to renew the visas of some of those here when

they run out.

In paragraph 6(11) of the telegrum the Governor slao asks

whether there are considerations vis-a-vis b

in cone on and

Reuters in Peking which must be boken into account.

This problem was discursed with Forei ̧n (Tice officials yesterday afternoon and it was spread that the position of the

.*.A. in London was entirely di. Terent from that of the 1.0 N.A

in Hong Kong. Initially action against the N.C.N.A. in London had been considered as a retaliatory measure against the action of the

Chinese for the attacks on our offices in Peking and porticularly in

Shanghai. The N.C.M.A. in Lonson are not a security thret in the V.K., whereas in Hong Kong the X.0.3.A. is being used us a eposrhesd for the campaign against the song kong authorities and 1: very auch threat to internal security. The Forei ̧n office agreed that so for

@ the B.C.S.A. in Wong Kong is concerned the requirements of

internal security should be the first consideration,

On the other hond the recent Lederum from Peking

general assessment from Hong Kong itself” tended to confira the view that the disorders in Hong Kong has not been initiated by Peking

but had been the work of local Communista, and that Peking had been

forced into the position of having to back thes up. For this resson it aight therefore be unwise to take any action in Hong Kong which al, ht a ke it more difficult for the Chinese in Peking to

cisengage