TNAG-0176-FCO40-212-Brief-on-communist-controlled-schools-for-Lord-Shepherd-s-vi-1969 — Page 42

SECRET CONFIDENTIAL

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Such a campaigh might",

BOTE we understand, present a problem, in that The requirement that the pulting up of posters requires because it is in the curcumstamas of Hong Kong today when force all). Chinese Affairs) has not been generally enforced, probably The authority of the Secretary of Home Affours (formerly Buty Hong Kong is not to be plastered with the thoughts of Has it will have to be enforced - and on a han

Communists in their efforts to secure the reinstatement of

workers dismissed by Government Departments and certain private

companies for going on strike during the 1967 disturbances has

had an adverse effect on Communist morale; this has been accen-

tuated by the fact that all Communist trade unions have now

ceased to issue strike pay to their members. There is at

present no evidence that the Communists are succeeding in

winning public support for their cause; nor is there any

indication that they are likely to cease in their efforts

to this end. Indeed, our local covert 'contact' with the

Communists stated at the beginning of April that recently

the more militant local cadres had begun talking about the

possibility of starting up a poster campaign. The object

of such a campaign would be political indoctrination but

it would not be so violent as to be caught by the legislation

dealing with inflammatory posters Canchimated their May Day celebrations

Detainees

10.

while the fommunists a notably low key.

All detainees have now been released: the last one was

released on 12 May. Five of the detainees (including the

last one) were released subject to Police Supervision Orders

valid for six months. Under these Orders the released detainees

may be excluded from certain areas of the Colony and they may

be required to report regularly to the Police. A brief inter-

val will be needed in which to assess the effect of these

releases: but the Governor hopes to be able to discontinue

Emergency (Principal) Regulation 31 (under which detention

orders are made) with its attendant regulations, by the middle

of June. The regulation enabling the Governor to impose Police

Supervision Orders will, however, have to continue in force for

so long as those Orders are to have effect.

5 SECRET CONFIDENTIAL