TNAG-0116-FCO40-152-Departmental-Briefs-For-Meetings--Visits-and-Foreign-Affairs-1969 — Page 17

SECRET

waters by motorised junks from Chinese territory in pursuit of illegal immigrants into the Colony. Encounters with police patrol launches were involved and the incidents led to a message of protest being handed to the New Chinese News Agency by the Hong Kong authorities early in September.

4. Minor stoning and fireworks incidents have occurred from

time to time in the vicinity of the border. This area is

always a sensitive one and such incidents do not normally excite comment. However, their frequency increased at the end of August and on 20 September a message was passed to

the New Chinese News Agency asking them to draw the attention

of the appropriate Chinese authorities to the incidents.

5.

The recent introduction of regulations controlling the activities of light buses (mini-buses) has given rise to a

certain amount of trouble. An incident occurred on 27

September which involved the arrest of the crew of a mini-

bus in the New Territories and which eventually necessitated

the use of tear smoke by the police. The following day public

mini-bus drivers throughout the Colony stopped work for several

hours in protest against the enforcement of the regulations. Although several Communist supporters were involved in the

original incident, the latter was entirely spontaneous and the Communist trade union concerned subsequently made it clear that the stoppage did not have their backing. The Communist

Chinese National Day celebrations on 1 October were the most

uneventful for several years. It was evident that the local

Communist leadership did everything possible to avoid any

action which might provoke an incident. The Nationalist Chinese National Day celebrations on 10 October (the "double- tenth") also passed off without incident.

6.

The last of the eleven Communist newsworkers imprisoned in the Colony for their part in the disturbances of 1967 was

released on 3 October. His release was followed the next day by the release from detention of Mr. Grey, Reuters*

/ correspondent ...

SECRET