CO_968_257_COMMUNIST_ACTIVITIES_IN_HONG_KONG_1952 — Page 52

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MR. JOHN DUGDALE

PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTION

FOR MONDAY, 3RD MARCH, 1952

To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has any statement to make on the recent disturbances in Hong Kong.

MR. LYTTELTON:

MƏ VE

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ANSWER

Yes Sir. I welcome the opportunity to make a

statement on the disturbance in Hong Kong last Saturday

since some of the published reports were exaggerated.

A few

In November last year a fire broke out in Tung Tao

village, an area just east of Kowloon, and some 10,000

persons were made homeless. The Hong Kong Government

took immediate steps to resettle the homeless.

weeks ago a group of people from Canton, styling

themselves the Comfort Mission, proposed to visit the

Colony and distribute aid to the "Tung Tao Village

Fire Victims"

These persons made unofficial

•

approaches to ascertain whether they could enter Hong

Kong and were told that permission would not be given

for the Mission as such to enter the Colony. On the

27th February enquiries were made whether representatives

of the donors of money collected in Canton, as distinct

from a Comfort Mission, would be allowed entry the

next day. These enquiries were answered to the effect

that if written application were made and a programme

submitted, consideration would be given to the request,

but that any visit could not take place before the 9th

March. This was the position on the night of Friday,

the 29th February.

On the morning of Saturday the Hong Kong

Government learnt that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce

had heard by telephone from Canton that the proposed

visit of the Comfort Mission was postponed. It is

understood that this information was passed to the

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