TNAG-0109-FCO40-145-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1968 — Page 150

Reference..

EXRACT FROM RECORD OF DISCUSSIONS WITH

THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG 22-23 OCTOBER, 1968

16

(c) Detainees

4. The Governor explained that there were thirty-four detainees still in custody. This number included a hard core of communist Trade Unionists and other communist activists who had been responsible for bomb incidents in the course of last year's disturbances.

It was becoming steadily more difficult to decide which of these remaining detainees could be released with relative safety, and it was a matter of feeling one's way in the light of circumstances at any particular time, with particular regard to security considerations. There would in any event be

a hard core residue of something less than ten detainees who would have to be retained in custody for the time being. He did not expect difficulty with public opinion in Hong Kong over the question of releases of detainees provided these were seen in the Colony to be effected only when circumstances justified and permitted them: it was important that they were not seen in any way as matching the release by the Chinose of British subjects detained in China. He was convinced that the Chinese would give us no credit for wholesale releases; they were more likely to regard such a step as foolishness on our part and it would not help the cause of British detainees in China.

/ Detainees

SECRET

Detainees were being released at present at a slightly higher than safe rate having regard to security considerations.

5. The Governor considered that the Chinese probably did appreciate the difference (for us) between detainees and prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for convictions on criminal charges and that it was much easier for us to release the former than the latter. The bulk of the prisoners convicted of offences during confrontation had already served their sentences and had been released, Approximately 500 such prisoners were still in custody and this number would probably be halved by the end of the year. Any indication that we were prepared to release convicted prisoners prematurely would lead to dangerous pressures on us.

6. It was agreed that in deciding on the release of detainees security considerations in Hong Kong must remain a paramount consideration. However, such releases could and should make a contribution to a general process of de-escalation; the rate of release should to some extent be determined by any further Chinese conciliatory gestures which were bound to reduce tension and improve the security situation in the Colony. There was general agreement that it would be unwise to make concessions in the field of convicted prisoners with the reservation that it might be necessary to give further consideration to this in a limited context if present hopes of the release of Mr. Grey were not realised (see paragraph 9 below).

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