TNAG-0328-FCO40-364-Activities-of-New-Left-groups-amongst-students-and-youth-of--1973 — Page 19

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Yan Yi Villagers Protest

The facts concerning the arrest of 126 persons for unlawful assembly and obstruction are summarized as follows:

(a) At about 12.45 hours on the 5th September 1972,

a group of some 220 persons, including men, and children, assembled at Edingburgh Place under the west verandah of the City Hall. They were protesting against Government policy towards the resettlement of the residents of the Yan Yi

women

Village, Kowloon. Their intention was to present a petition to H.E. the Governor asking for early resettlement. They displayed a banner 3' x 12' and a string, some 40 yards long, attached to which were multicolour triangular paper-flags.

Short-

(b) At about 16.34 hours, a group of 6 representatives left the City Hall for Government House and handed a petition to an A.D.C. They rejoined the main group outside the City Hall at 17.30 hours. ly afterwards the assembly moved to a pathway under the north verandah of the City Hall facing Queen's Pier where they sat down and again displayed their

This assembly banner and also a number of posters. blocked the pathway under the verandah and obstructed pedestrian traffic.

This pro-

(c) At 20.02 hours police formally warned the group that they were unlawfully assembled and were causing obstruction. They were advised to leave, voked jeers from the group which did not move, al-

Similar warn- though spectators standing nearby did. ings were given by the police at 20.09, 20.26, 20.41 and 20.44 hours and were also unheeded.

(a) At 20.45 hours police arrested 18 Chinese males and

1 Chinese female, who had been noted as ringleaders. (e) The remainder were again warned to disperse by police

at 21.00, 21.07 and 21.16 hours, but without effect. A final warning was given at 21.26 hours, and when this was unheeded the police arrested the remainder at 21.30 hours. Thus a total of 126 arrests were made. (A list of the defendants is at Annex A.)

CONFIDENTIAL REGISTRY

49+50 \ DATE. 1851.72

INWARD

LETTER

CONFIDENTIAL

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