SECRET
BACKGROUND NOTE
ACTION AGAINST THE COMMUNIST PRESS IN HONG KONG
Du 7 67
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The Governor has recently stated (Hong Kong telegram No. 1757) that he
considers some further action to curtail the activities of the Communist press
to be essential if the Hong Kong Government is not to lose ground steadily
in their confrontation with the Communists. Lack of such action hitherto is
regarded by the Communists and by a large proportion of the population as
weakness on the part of the Government. The Governor strongly recommends that
action should be taken in the first instance against the three remaining pro-
Communist non-C.P.G. owned newspapers (the Ching Po Daily, the Hong Kong
Commercial Daily and the Cheng Wu Pao). He further considers that if this
action does not bring about an improvement in the tone of the remaining pro-
Communist newspapers, then action against them also will have to be taken soon.
2.
In August the Hong Kong authorities initiated successful prosecutions
for sedition against the chief executives of three minor pro-Communist
newspapers (the Hong Kong Evening News; the Afternoon News and the Tin Fung
Yat Po). At the same time, they secured Court Orders suspending the
publication of the three newspapers in question for a period of six months
with effect from the end of August. This action led to the delivery of an
ultimatum by the Peking Government on 20 August and on its expiry unanswered
to the sacking of the British Mission premises in Peking on 22 August.
3.
Towards the end of November there were indications of an improvement in
Sino-British relations. Local border talks between Hong Kong Government
officials and local Chinese frontier authorities were concluded on 25 November.
As a result of these talks certain Hong Kong police personnel (two Chinese
constables) who had been in Chinese custody for several weeks were returned
(with their equipment) to British territory on 26 November, and the border
road bridge at Man Kam To, which had been closed by the Hong Kong authorities
on 15 October, was re-opened. It was hoped that these talks would lead to an
improvement in the general border situation. On 21 November, Her Majesty's
Government lifted restrictions which had been imposed on the movements of the
Chinese Mission in London and on 29 November the Peking Government took
similar action in respect of the staff of the British Mission in Peking.
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