Sessional_Paper_1927 — Page 176

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XX.-Negotiations at Hankow.

(i) Telegram of 15th March, 1927, from Mr. Eric Teichman,

to H. M. Minister, Pekin.

I raised question of Bias Bay with Chen to-day ending with words :-"If no more effective action is contemplated by Nationalist Government, His Majesty's Govern- ment will have no option but to take independent action themselves”. Chen said he would study matters and let me have his views in reply in due course. In subsequent conversation he enquired why we did not station a man-of-war permanently in Bias Bay. When I replied that that would hardly meet the case and that we looked to the Nationalist Government to stamp out the evil by destroying the pirates' haunts on shore for which purpose we had repeatedly offered our co-operation he referred vaguely to the possibility of some sort of joint amphibious operation in which we should confine our part to water and added he feared that popular opinion in South China which had been unfortunately again aroused against us over the Shanghai question would not at pre- sent permit of effective co-operation of this nature.

(ii) Telegram of 20th March, 1927, from Mr. Eric Teichman, at Hankow,

to H. M. Minister, Pekin.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs yesterday gave me this reply about Bias Bay in the sense that his government considered that punitive measures against the villages on shore would be worse than useless, as they would not stop pirates on the high seas and would only provoke the pirates to reprisal; and that the best means of dealing with the evil was for us to station a man-of-war in the neighbourhood of Bias Bay for the purpose of (?) intercepting pirated vessels, coupled with wireless precautions and in- creased vigilance especially over the crews at the ports of embarkation, where, (rather than in the Bias Bay villages) piracies were planned and pirate organisations were based.

I argued the question and renewed the warning of independent action by His Majesty's Government.

O. CASE OF THE S.S. HOP SANG.

Pirated on 22nd March, 1927.

H. M.'s Govt. at once took independent action and next day the British Navy car- ried out punitive operations against three villages in Bias Bay.

P.-CASE OF THE S.S. FENG PU.

Pirated on 6th May, 1927.

I.-Despatch of 11th May, 1927, from the Governor of Hong Kong,

to H. M. Consul-General, Canton.

Sir,

I have the honour to forward for your information and for communication to the Canton Government the enclosed copy of a telegram concerning the piracy of the Chinese S.S. "Feng Pu" on the 6th May. The message shows that the Bias Bay pirates are still active. On this occasion their victim was a Chinese steamer, owned