TNAG-0176-FCO40-212-Brief-on-communist-controlled-schools-for-Lord-Shepherd-s-vi-1969 — Page 97

CONFIDENTIAL

NOTES ON ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG

22-23 OCTOBER, 1968

COMMUNIST SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG

WITH

The Governor reported early in August that the communists in Hong Kong had recently announced plans for opening 25 new schools. The generally lenient attitude of the Hong Kong Government towards such schools had led to a building up of public apprehension and the matter had been twice raised by unofficial members of the Executive Council. It had also been raised in the non-communist press; and a number of petitions had been received from heads of local organisations and prominent citizens in the New Territories protesting against the proposed establishment of a communist school in that area.

2. Of the 25 new schools mentioned above, 21 were operating by mid-September. Four of these had been duly registered under the Education Ordinance; seven more had submitted applications for registration; eight had not yet applied and two had not notified the education authorities of their desire to operate. The remaining four schools had not yet begun to operate and had not notified the Education Department of their desire to do so.

3. The number of children attending these new schools is roughly estimated at 7,280 and this brings the total number of children in communist schools to approximately 27,500 or 2.4 per cent of the total school population, as compared with 1.9 per cent last year.

4. In view of the public apprehension engendered and the short and long term threat to the authority of the Hong Kong Government which is posed by these schools, the Governor considers that he may be obliged to take overt and fairly direct action, possibly at

short notice, to curb both the opening of new schools and the activities of those already established; he has certain measures under consideration for this purpose.

5. Mr. Cradock in Peking has pointed out that any action specifically aimed at curbing or controlling communist education generally would constitute an important change in our policy on the freedom of the Communists to conduct their education programme in Hong Kong. He emphasises :-

bu today.

ANG

222018.

(a)

(6)

that action against communist schools as such is a new departure and to be distinguished from the closure of the Chung Wah School which was de-registered because of bomb-making;

that we should meet full-scale Chinese opposition to any campaign against communist schools. There would be serious trouble in Hong Kong and repercussions on Sino-British relations;

(c)

that we should be invalidating assurances previously given to the Chinese (e.g. regarding the freedom of communists in Hong Kong to study the works of Mao, etc.);

(a)

that we should reverse the present trend towards slightly

improved relations with China.

CONFIDENT IAL

/ 6.