Police-1966-1967 — Page 12

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were imposed by night in the area of Western Kowloon centred on Nathan Road, and order was restored on the night of the 8th.

10. Ten Police and 16 civilians were injured during the riots and one civilian died of gunshot wounds. 1,465 persons were arrested and of these 380 were sentenced to imprisonment, or to detention in approved homes.

Rainstorm

11. The torrential rains which fell between 12th and 14th June, 1966 brought extensive flooding and landslides on Hong Kong Island and resulted in heavy loss of life, injury and damage to property. In the twelve hours between midnight Saturday and mid-day Sunday alone, 15.6 inches of rain were recorded—a record since the 1920's.

12. The Police were mobilized and were engaged almost entirely with search and rescue operations and the evacuation of persons from flooded areas and areas where landslides appeared imminent. Land- slides caused house and road collapses, and in one incident alone, four people were killed and 70 parked cars were wrecked when a reservoir overflowed.

13. The final toll was 64 dead and 29 seriously injured.

Illegal Immigration

14. Illegal immigration remained at a comparatively low level through- out the year. 1,563 illegal immigrants were arrested compared with 1,363 the previous year. While a larger number may have evaded arrest infor- mation available does not indicate any very marked increase in illegal entry by sea compared with the previous year. A total of 96 arrests were made of illegal immigrants over the land boundary as compared with 222 made in the preceding year. This reduction in numbers is attributed to the tightening of border security by the Chinese authorities.

Rescue Operations

15. Two major search and rescue operations in which the Police took part during the year involved a party of deaf and dumb children lost after darkness on Tai Mo Shan mountain and a group of nine hikers lost in the hills near Castle Peak in the New Territories. In the first incident the party was located by combined Police and Fire Services personnel and removed at dawn to safety by helicopter. The party of hikers, some of whom were in an exhausted condition were found after an extensive land and sea search by the Police in the New Territories.

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