CONFIDENTIM
cony on HWA 1/13
HONG KONG
SECRETARY OF STATE
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
22 NOV 1967
42
I visited Hong Kong between 13-21 October, accompanied
by Mr. H. P. Hall, the Assistant Under Secretary responsible
for the Colony, Mr. G. Foggon, Overseas Labour Adviser (for
part of the time) and Mr. C. H. Godden, Private Secretary.
For some twelve years to 1963 I visited Hong Kong at least
three or four times a year in a business capacity so the
Colony and many of its problems were not new to me
2
General Observations
•
Life in Hong Kong these days is not as abnormal as
stories in the Press here and BBC reports might suggest.
It is true that bomb incidents still persist. But it does
not seem to be appreciated outside the Colony that only a
small percentage of the deaths and about a third of the
injuries that have occurred since the disturbances began
in May have been caused by bomb explosions. Yet it is the
bomb incidents that make the headlines, The majority of the
bombs planted turn out to be fakes or unsophisticated black
powder fire cracker bombs which have caused little disturbance
to the daily tenor of everyday life. This is not to deny
the dangers but simply to keep the situation in perspective.
The fact is that, in general, it is "business as usual" in
Hong Kong. Life for the majority of the people continues
normally. Water supplies from China are flowing under the
contract and food supplies are also coming through from China
in more or less normal quantities. On the border the
situation is tense and everyone there recognises that a
serious incident might trigger off a shooting war;
but any
lack of firmness on our part could also encourage the Communists
to create incidents which would eventually make it necessary
for us to use force to maintain our position. This throws
即
a heavy strain on the military, police and civil administration in the New Territories.
CONFIDENTIAL
13.
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