TNAG-0109-FCO40-145-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1968 — Page 48

CYPHER/CAT A

CONFIDENTIAL

IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1609

TO HONG KONG

28 NOVEMBER 1968

TOP COPY

(НКК 1/12)

CCDENTIAL

DETAINEES AND PRISONERS.

IN VIEW OF MOUNTING PRESS AND PARLIAMENTARY INTEREST IN THIS SUBJECT AND FOR PURPOSES OF FORTHCOMING DISCUSSIONS WITH GOVERNOR WE MUST

ASK YOU FOR FULLER AND MORE PRECISE INFORMATION THAN WE AT PRESENT POSSESS ABOUT DETAINEES AND CONFRONTATION PRISONERS.

GRATEFUL THEREFORE IF YOU WILL PROVIDE US WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORM-

ATION:-

(1) DETAINEES. LIST NUMBERS OF THE TWENTY-NINE WHO REMAIN IN DETENTION INDICATING THOSE WHO ARE RECORDED AS HARD-CORE AND THOSE

WHO ARE LESS DANGEROUS.

(2) THIRTEEN CONVICTED NEWSPAPER WORKERS.

THE DATES OF THEIR ARRESTS, THE CHARGES ON WHICH THEY WERE CONVICTED.

AND THEIR DATES OF RELEASE ASSUMING FULL REMISSION.

(3). REMAINING CONFRONTATION PRISONERS.

WE UNDERSTAND GENERAL POSITION TO BE THAT NUMBER OF CONFRONTATION

PRISONERS IS NOW APPROXIMATELY 500= THAT ASSUMING FULL REMISSION

THIS TOTAL WILL BE REDUCED TO APPROXIMATELY 250 BY END OF YEAR BY WHICH TIME VIRTUALLY ALL LESSER CONFRONTATION PRISONERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED THAT MAJORITY OF REMAINING 250 WILL BE THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF OFFENCES WHICH WERE SERIOUS EITHER BECAUSE THEY INVOLVED VIOLENCE OR FOR SOME OTHER REASON, AND HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IMPRISONMENT OR LONGER THAT MAJORITY OF THESE WILL BE DUE FOR RELEASE BY END 1949 BUT THAT SOME EIGHTY TO NINETY OF THEM WILL REMAIN IN PRISON THEREAFTER, SOME UNTIL 1974. GRATEFUL FOR CONFIRMATION THAT ABOVE IS CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF GENERAL POSITION AND FOR AN UP TO DATE BREAKDOWN OF THOSE REMAINING IN PRISON AFTER END OF 1968 WITH PROJECTED QUARTERLY RATE OF RELEASE AND A BROAD INDICATION OF TYPE OF OFFENCES FOR WHICH THEY WERE CONVICTED.

2. GRATEFUL IF ABOVE INFORMATION MAY BE DESPATCHED BY BAG TO REACH US NOT LATER THAN MONDAY 9 DECEMBER.

STEWART.

FILES

H.K.D.

FR. EAST. DEPT.

SIR C. JOHNSTON

SIR A. GALSWORTHY

MR. MORETON

NEWS DEPT.

LIST

A

RCE.

70.979

CONFIDENTIAL