TNAG-0111-FCO40-147-Detainees-and-prisoners-following-19671968-disturbances-1969 — Page 2

Diet:

Exercise:

Visits:

Whilst this remains according to the previous Prison Diet Scale, there have been some additional supplements, such as noodle soup etc.

The daily periods have been extended to 2 x 40 minutes and 1 x 20 minutes for each detainee in three groups.

Two visits per month are still allowed but the visiting time has been extended from 15 minutes to 25 minutes.

All the other points remain as indicated in my previous report.

My visit took place in the morning of December 6th, and at One my choice I was allowed to speak to detainees in private. could only speak Chinese where I needed an interpreter, and the other one spoke English with whom I was left entirely alone. I was lucky to be able to interview any of them since there have been some slight troubles in the recent past within the Centre and I am told that a few days ago when the Commissioner of Police visited there was some sort of an organised shouting and chanting and it is quite likely that none of the detainees would have spoken

As it happened, to me had they had advance notice of my visit.

four of them flatly refused to speak to me, one of them mentioning that the International Red Cross was an enemy of China and

It has Chairman Mao and he would have nothing to do with them. to be realised, of course, that the 23 remaining detainees really form the hard core and the recent publicity about the Journalist Grey has caused some dissatisfaction amongst detainees who think Grey is being better treated. Likewise, there is obviously a great deal of frustration since quite a number of detainees have been released and none of the present inmates know if and when they might be released. I should think there will be further releases in due course but some of the remaining hard core inmates are obviously considered such bad security risks that they might remain in the Centre for some time unless, of course, they are released earlier as a gesture of goodwill depending on the fate of European (part- iculrly British) detainees in China, although this matter would in such a case not be dealt with on the level of the Detaining Authorities.

Both detainees whom I interviewed protested their innocence and illegal detention and want me to pass this message on to the authorities concerned. I identified myself as the representative of the International Red Cross and pointed out that my task was to

There were a few enquire into the conditions of detention. general complaints which I list as follows:

...../3