TNAG-0445-FCO40-510-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 174

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Walled City

[11 JUNE 1974]

Within that dreadful place the Colonial Government themselves are not idle--they do not do nothing; they do not stand by. They have recently, under the governor- ship of Sir Murray MacLchose-and I pay tribute to him in this House for this --begun to do something to help on the flesh and blood level. Social services exist. There is some impact of education services, though not much. The immunisa- tion programme against epidemics is carried out in the Walled City. But that is all. The Government of Hong Kong have not dared physically to clear that awful slum. They know how to: they do it excellently elsewhere. Immediately outside the Walled City the Colonial Government have built modern blocks-- excellent modern blocks. One is tempted to say:

Maybe the solution is to build enough good blocks all round and about to draw the people out of the city of dreadful night.” But I fear that this is difficult because the rents within the Walled City are about one-third below what they are in the rest of Kowloon. So to draw the people out one would have to bring down the rents, not only in the immediate vicinity of the Walled City but all over Kowloon and all over Hong Kong, by 30 or 40 per cent. It could

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be done theoretically, but the economic burden would seem to me so staggering that I cannot myself see that as the solution.

At the moment Anglo-Chinese relations are extremely good. They have perhaps never been better at any time since the Communist Revolution in China. One may pay tribute to many people and not least to Mr. Heath for this recent great improvement. The last thing I want to do by raising this Question in Parliament is to upset those relations or to upset the delicate web of forbearance by which Hong Kong continues.

I had the pleasure only six months ago of acting as deputy leader of a Parlia- mentary delegation to Peking and half a dozen other cities in China. I saw how good relations were and I fully under- stood the importance of keeping them that way. My question to the Govern ment is this: now that relations are so good, could not the Government take their courage in both hands and for the first time talk to the Chinese Government about this great human tragedy which has arisen in the interstices of these good

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of Kowloon

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relations? It has grown up because of the sheer delicacy of the balance. It has grown up because of human politeness and the unwillingness of both sides to raise a potentially embarrassing subject. But there they are-45,000 people in permanent and disgusting night. The good will now existing is great and my question is: has not the moment arrived when the good will is suflicient to bear the burden of an embarrassing conversation with Peking? My Lords. I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name.

10.11 p.m.

The

EARL COWLEY: My Lords, the Unstarred Question which is being asked by the noble Lord, Lord Kennet, raises issues that go to the very basis on which the Colony of Hong Kong exists. poverty and squalor which is synonymous with the Walled City of Kowloon has been graphically described to the House by the noble Lord. This tiny area of Kowloon, with its 45,000 inhabitants crowding into about 61 acres, means that it has a population density of nearly 5 million per square mile. In Europe. 1,000 per square mile is considered gross overcrowding. This slum-for basically that is what it is--has become infamous

through its bad housing, its lack of social services, its violent crime and the exten- sive corruption and trafficking in drugs. For many years the Kowloon police steered well clear of the city. Now they are beginning to enter it, but the influence of the Triads, who control the organised extortion and racketeering, remains almost undisputed. But these factors, like symp- toms of a disease, are the result of a long-standing sovereignty dispute between Britain and China.

Under the Convention of Peking in 1898, when the New Territories were leased from China for 99 years, Chinese authority was allowed to continue within the Walled City of Kowloon,

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except in so far as may be inconsistent with the military requirements of Hong Kong ". Although Britain unilaterally invoked this clause and took over the Walled City in the same year, the then Chinese Govern- ment never accepted Britain's action. Thus the sovereignty question remains unsettled. The present Chinese Govern- ment do not recognise the validity of any of the treaties covering Hong Kong and regard the Colony as Chinese territory.