to re-appear in Court to face thirty charges including
that of sedition and the outcome is awai tød.
3.
In addition to the above action against
Communist newspapers, a number of convictions for
has
criminal offences her over a period been secured
against various reporters. Two men (one of whom is
employed by the News China News Agency? · - an official
C.P.G. organisation) are now serving sentences of two
years imprisonment and five reporters (one of whom is
H„C.N.A.) were due to appear in Court on 21 August.
4. Two civil actions against other Communist
newspapers have been initiated by solicitors' letters
demanding retraction and apology but the reaction of
the papers concetned has so far been one of defiance.
5. The above action by the Hong Kong authorities
led to the delivery of a Note by the Chinese Peoples
Government to the British Charge d'Affaires`in Paking
on 20 August. This Note demanded that the British
authorities should, within forty-eight houra:-
(1) cancel the ban on the three suspended
newspapersĮ
(ii) declare all those arrested innocent and
set them free;
(111) call off the lawsuits against the other
nowspapers involved.
Separato guidance will be issued on the issues raised
by this action on the part of the Chinese Peoples
Government.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.