TNAG-0078-FCO40-114-Action-against-Communist-press-1967 — Page 19

DRAFT Submission

SECRET

ACTION AGAINST THE COMMUNIST PRESS

in HONG KONG

with (74)

An

Flay

A

ultimatumed from the Chinese

Concerning retaliation pos

PROBLEM

The suspension last month of three pro-Communist newspapers

in Hong Kong has been followed by the appearance of single sheet

Gestetnered pamphlets ("Mosquito Broad Sheets). These road

have been

sheets are being used, inter alia, to indicate targets for

O.AG.

assassination and to issue terrorist warnings, and the Governor

considers that action must be taken to deal with them. (the attached Hong Kong telegrams No. 1328 refers)

2.

The problem is to decide what form such action should take

having regard to past experience of reactions in Peking to measures

previously taken to deal with the Communist press in Hong Kong.

RECOMMENDATION

3. I recommend that the Governor should be authorised to It is recommended that, subject to the concurrence of the.

fromulgate Emergency Regulations prohibiting the production,

broadsheet A parallel

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to whom

to whom a similar distritration of possession if

Posquito

Submission is being made, the Governor be authorised to proceed submission is being made to the Foreign Secretary. A draft

in aseerdance with the attached draft telegramTM

telegrams is submitted.

BACKGROUND and ARGUMENT

4. We do not belive

There has never been any evidence to indicate that the Peking

diretty

authorities were in any way responsible for initiating the present

Latter

disturbances in Hong Kong when they began early in May, but the-

afferte-of the Communists in the Colony in their confrontation

with the Hong Kong authorities have received and are continuing

prpaganda

to receive, very considerable ejsupport and encouragement from

Peking by way of propaganda. For this reason alone the Chinese

Peoples Government (C.P.G.) is extremely sensitive to any

measures taken to curb the activities of the Communist press in

Hong Kong. The sacking of the British Mission in Peking on the

22 August is clear evidence of this attitude. This action

against the British Mission was the direct and immediate result

of action taken by the Hong Kong authorities to suspend three

pro-Communist newspapers (albeit minor newspapers) an and prosecute

and

al to arrest

the persons responsible for their editing, printing and publicat-

iong and ion and to charge them with various offences arising out of the

/publication