TNAG-0469-FCO40-534-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 118

- 14

-

PENN

PENN

FX

PENN

mainly by the Secretary of the Kowloon SPCA - firs. Freeman who quoted to me the fact that in 1967 Government had told them not to interfore with these places and she was still doing so which I didn't agree with.

.....

Calmer times have succeeded the 1967 Communist riots and Hong Kong's mini-Cultural Revolution. But the Society's attitudes haven't changed. My own requests for interviews and all help with this project were refused. But a Society member went on my behalf- first to the big shop and then to the Society's premises where she saw a Chinese inspector.

SPCA Member

I saw the boy with glasses. I don't know his nanic. They've had a lot of complaints about the place. They've threatened him himself when he's been down there, in and out of uniform - they won't even let him in the shop.

Ha knew it was shocking. He says it's Communist: he knows it is. They just won't have the boys in - they know the Inspectors in and out of uniform. And oven when he cautioned a customer outside who'd bought a wild bird for carrying it upside down in a very bad fashion, the customer more or less told him to go to hell.

Later, this same SPCA nombor telephoned one of the Society's European Executives who was frankly critical of the law permitting these imports, said that they'd had meny complaints about Shing Lee Hong, and that since the Chinese Inspectors had been roughed up there she was now passing these to the Police. Her statements by the way were refreshingly at variance with the official Society line.

Mongkok Traffic and Pop Song.

Mongkok is a congested urban area with more than it's share of crime and vice. Even so, the Police will institute prococdings for cruelty to animals if requests for those and expert evidence are forthcoming from the Government and the SPCA.

In May 1973, the Chief Inspector at Mongkok said there had been no such initiatives for wall over a year, and that SPCA · Inspectors were frightened of reprisal from the Communist dealers.

Police Officer.

If we could have the evidence from them, of cruelty ani - if there was a witness from the Hong Kong SPCA who would be prepared to give evidence than we would prosecute if we were given the evidence.