fco-21-875-release-of-communist-prisoners-convicted-for-offences-during-confrontations — Page 3

National Archives 英國國家檔案館 All

28.4.73

28.4.71

7.

CHAN Kwong-yan

29737

7

16.1.74

16.5.71

8.

TAM Wai-ming

30199

7

25.9.72

25.5.71

CONFRONTATION PRISONERS FOR RELEASE FOLLOWING THE GOVERNOR'S DECISIONS
AFTER BOARD OF REVIEW MEETING ON 18th MARCH

1971..

(Hong Kong telegram No.198 of 19 March 1971 to F.C.0. and No.200 of 23
March to F.0.0.

Previous earliest date of discharge

Present release date

Nane

Prison No.

Sentence

(years)

1.

CHOW Wing-cheong

28850

8

15.3.73

27.3.71

2.

LEE Man-vai

28849

10

16.7.74

27.3.71

CHAN Shu-nam

30694

14

15.4.77

15.4.71

CHAN Yuen-yu

F 383

7

28.8.72

28.4.71

5.

LI Kwai-fong

P 382

8

28.4.73

28.4.71

6.

KWAN King

F 384

8

28.4.73

28.4.71

7.

CHAN Kwong-yan

29737

7

16.1.74

16.5.71

8.

TAM Wai-ming

30199

25.9.72

25.5.71

IMMEDIATE

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY

CYTHER CAT/A

F HƯNG KONG 267137

CONFIDENTIAL

TO IMEDIATE F.C.0. TELEGRAM NUMBER 227 OF 26 MARCH INFO PEKING.

i?

PEKING TELEGRAM NO. 219 TO YOU: CONFRONTATION PRISONERS.

I WOULD MUCH PREFER CHARGE TO WRITE AS HE PROPOSES.

TRENCH

FILES

FED

HONG KONG D PS

PS TO MR ROYLE

PS TO PUS

SIR S TOMLINSON

SIR L MONSON KR WILFÖRD

CONFIDENTIAL

COPIES TO:

UND

m

2

bi

[

F

IMMEDIATE

CYPHER/CAT A

FM PEXING 250400Z

CNFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

1

FEA

144

0

TOP COPY

TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 269 OF 25 MARCH INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

HONG KONG TELNO 200: CONFRONTATION PRISONERS

1. FOR TACTICAL REASONS I HAD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER

FOR THERE TO BE SONE DELAY AFTER MY RETURN BEFORE INFORMING

THE CHINESE ABOUT THE NEXT BATCH OF RELEASES. AT THE SAME

TIME I HOPED FOLLOWING CHOU EN-LA!'S UNDERTAKING THAT SOME

INFORMATION MIGHT BE FORTHCOMONG ABOUT THE FOUR REMAINING

BRITISH SUBJECTS THOUGH I HAVE NO WISH TO LINK THIS WITH

HONG KONG PRISONERS. AT A DINNER ALLAN GAVE FOR THE CHINESE

CN 23 MARCH HE RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE FOUR BUT THE CHINESE

HAD NOTHING TO SAY AND AGAIN PRESSED HIM ABOUT PRISONERS.

SINCE YOU HAVE DECIDED TO SPEAK TO P'EI HIMSELF, I SHOULD

PREFER ON THIS OCCASION TO SEND A WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THUS AVOID FURTHER

EXPOSURE TO DEMANDS FOR THE RELEASE OF ALL PRISONERS. I

THINK THAT WE HERE WILL LOSE NOTHING BY ACTING IN' THIS WAY.

DO YOU AGREE QUERY.

DENSON

+

FILES

FED

HONG KONG D

PRIVATE SECRETARY

PS TO MR ROYLE

PS TO PUS

SIR S TOMLINSON

SIR L MONSON

MR WILFORD

CONFIDENTIAL

COPIES TO:

UND

!

+

plc

تھا

I agree

pad-

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference

Mr Morgan

THE 14/1 312 67

1431267

HONG KONG EMERGENCY LEGISLATION

1.

Mr Wilford suggests that Chou En-lai may believe that some of the
confrontation prisoners are still serving sentences under emergency
legislation and that if the legislation were withdrawn prisoners would
go free. This may well be Chou En-lai's impression. In fact, I
understand that all the emergency legislation enacted during 1967 has
now been withdrawn or, in ertain cases, incorporated into permanent
legislation. 'ithout a detailed ched which might take some time, it is
not possible to say for certain whether all the present confrontation
prisoners were convicted under permanent legislation or whether some of
them were sentenced for offences defined under emergency legislation.

In any case this is a somewhat academic question since even if some were
convicted under emergency legislation, this would not mean that their
sentences would be quashed upon the expiry of the legislation.

2. Alternatively, Chou En-lai may be under the mis- apprehension that
there are still detainees in Hong Kong. If so, this is difficult to
understand since we made clear to the Chinese many times that all the
detainees were released long ago.

23 March 1971

infreeyond.

L V Appleyard

Mr. Willand

? Work carding a copy of this

minate to Passing to know

to how we

Chou's Phrase

and

inter poured

Mr2%.

SALMaga

sent 243%,

Mr Ackley Alchoso

S.M.

24.5

CONFIDENTIAL

23.3

PRIORITY

CYPHER/CAT A

RA HONG KONG 238402Z

CONFITENTIAL

RECEIVED IN

CONFIDENTIA REGISTRY NO.50

+

2.1.... 1971

FEH 14/1

14/1

66

TOP COPY

TO FRIORITY F.C.C. TELEGRAM NUMBER 203 OF 23 MARCH PRIORITY INFO

PEKING.

YOUR TELEGRAM 233 TO ME: CONFRONTATION FRISONERS.

IF YOU JUDGE IT NECESSARY TO SPEAK TO PEI RATHER THAN TO A MEMBER OF HIS
STAFF, 1 THINK IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO REDUCE THE INTERVAL BETWEEN THE
COMMUNICATION TO THE CHINESE AND THE RELEASE OF THE FIRST PRISONERS IN
ORDER TO AVOID COMPLICATIONS HERE WITH THE PRESS. I PROPOSE THEREFORE TO
RELEASE THE FIRST TWO CONFRONTATION PRIS- CNERS AND THE FORGER ON MARCH
27 AND TO INFORM THE FRESS ON THAT

DAY OF THE DECISIONS SET CUT IN ARA. 2 OF MY TELEGRAM NO. 198 AS

#ENDER BY THIS TELEGRAM.

TRENCH

FILES

FED

HKD

PS

PS TO MR ROYLE.

PS TO PUS

SIRS TOMLINSON

SIR L MONSON

ER WILFORD

[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]

CONFIDENTIAL

4

COPIES TO:

UND

TOP' COPY

PRICHTLY

CONFIDENTIAL

CYPHER CAT A

(FE) 14

FM FCO 221135Z

CONFIDENTIAL

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG TEL:0. 233 OF 22/3 INFO PRIORITY PEKING.

63

YOUR TELHO. 108: CONFRONTATION PRISONERS.

1. WE AGREE THAT WE SHOULD ROV LOVER THE LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION

FROM (114| STERIAL TO OFFICIAL. HOWEVER, P'EI WILL BE ON TOUR OUTSIDE
LONDON FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WEEK BEGINNING 20 MARCH,

UNLESS YOU SEE OBJECTION WE SHOULD THEREFORE LIKE TO INFORM HIM

01 FRIDAY 26 MARCH AND SUGGEST THAT PEKING SHOULD ALSO ACT ON THAT

DAY. THIS NEED NOT AFFECT THE DATE ON WHICH YOU PLAN TO GIVE

THE INFORMATION TO THE PRESS IN HONG KONG,

DOUGLAS-HOME

IMID

13

F; TO IR ROYLE

13 70 PU;

SER 3 TOMLINSCH

L

BIR L NON SCH IR MILFURD

COPIES TC ប{})

(1)

CONTIDA

'IDEN

65

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Registry No.

DEPARTMENT

FED

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret 22/3

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

En Clair. Code Cypher

Draft Telegram to:-

No.

TỔNG KONG

933

(Date) 29/3

And to:-

PRIORITY MARKINGS (Date)

Flash Immediate Priority.

Routine

[Secu

}

Date and time (G.M.T.) telegram should

reach addressccía).

AH

Despatched

C

assification]

Security classification" -if any

[ Privacy marking

-if any

[Codeword-if any]

CONFIDENTIAL

2211352

Addressed to

HONG KONG

telegram No.

(date)

And to

repeated for information to

SAING (PRIORITY).

X

Repeat

PEKING

Saving to:-

Saving to......

Your tel No 198: Confrontation Prisoners.

1. We agree that we should now lower the level of

communication from ministerial to official. However,

P'ei will be on tour outside London for the week

beginning 29 March. Unless you see objection we should

therefore like to inform him on Friday 26 March and suggest that Peking
should also act on that day. This

need not

affed the date

abente

2o2/5304

Distribution:-

FILES

FED HKD

PS PS TO PUS PS TO MR ROYLE SIR S TOMLINSON Copter 28%-

SIR 1 MONSON MR WILFORD

195072/2013 20

which

you plan

information to the press in Hong Kong.

22

Mr."

3.

+

CONEDENTIAL

I give the

Mr Wilford

CONFIDENTIAL

Love

CONFRONTATION PRISONERS

1.

2.

We spoke about Hong Kong telegram no 198. A draft on the lines agreed is
submitted.

Hong Kong Department concur.

@

22 March 1971

Copy to: HKD (Mr Laird)

SALMagen

JA L Morgan

Far Eastern Department

20

Mo.23.

له

CONFIDENTIAL

pla

1

H

1

T

COMMENT

THE LAST two days have been excellent examples of the different faces
that Government shows to the people it purports to protect and serve.

Firstly came the about face from the tough line it had originally taken
on the Chong Hing building scandal affair,

CHINOS MAIL

After an initial attempt to wash its hands of the fate of those left in
the unsafe building apart from telling them to get out there has now
been a change of heart.

-

And the Government moved with uncharacteristic speed.

The day after the Colonial Secretary told the Legistative Council that
resettlement facilities would be offered to those who wanted them
Government officials started visiting the

+

1

THE

Fi

Saving face by about face?

luckless residents.

A court of inquiry into the affair is also being set up.

After the initial bleak Government reaction when this case first came to
light, the latest moves are more than welcome.

But such changes of heart always leave an undercurrent of
dissatisfaction.

How much of that said by official spokes- men can be accepted?

Another episode was the release yesterday of more than 20 Communist
prisoners held in jail since the 1967 riots.

Officially these releases were not politically motivated.

+

1

But can we still be expected to accept that? In the past month there
have been many reports that most of the 70 leftwing prisoners would be
released as a goodwill gesture following the release of Britons by the
Chinese.

Only hours before the release was made, the Chinese Charge d'Affaires in
London was called to the Foreign Office.

Still we are asked to believe there is no connection.

Such moves strain even further the informa- tion gap.

And they make

*

chasm of the credibility gap that exists between the people and the
administration,

Premature release

A

THE early release of another 25 convicts serving prison sentences in
connection with crimes committed during the disturbances is not a good
move.

These people are criminals arrested by police, charged under the law and
convicted by impartial courts to terms of imprisonment.

That they should have been released because of! possible political
considerations - and it seems certain this was at least partly the
reason for the mass release is a decision to be argued against.

The Communists have repeatedly claimed these convicts were political
prisoners, jailed because of their beliefs. This, of course, is
nonsense, koerse

But there could have been no move, more › calculated to seemingly prove
the Reds' propaganda campaign than the decision to release these men.
The early release of determined

these revolutionaries who tried to terrorise the people of Hongkong can
hardly be expected to instil in the public a sense of security and the
belief that the Government is not bowing to Red demands.

Everybody in Hongkong wants better relations with our giant neighbour
across the border, but good political relationships cannot be bought by
a kid-glove treatment of thugs who have tried to hold the community to
blackmail by violence.

HONG KONG STANDARD (27-2-71).

I

L

+

:

1

TA KUNG PO (26.2.71)

WEN WEI PO (26.2.71)

廿四位戰友光榮歸來

【親屬和工友熱烈歡迎

立場,透行了不屈不掉的鬥戰,扮

许了此人的我就改

-

各工工人在歎迎自己的氟龙头

嚴、捍衛毛泽宸息想而英勇鬥爭的 精神-表扬他们在活乐指用毛溪東
思想上所取得的成蚺,真心地去他 們坐窗,向他們攻歌·收大們表示

光榮歸來之後,喜看國內外的一 片大好形势和香港同胞從反帝門

他們嚴正要求港英卽釋獄中愛國同胞 我的大形勢,一包,

·東、全、姚金胡、 候迎 週、吳瑞華、焦倩(女) 扭

+

廿四位爱期网

【本段訊】一批曾被撵英棠局 由監蔡第三年以上的爱國同胞廿四

廿四位愛 人,經過長絽的英勇的冂事,於昨 ㄕㄨㄚ,摩托工人黄崗、太
六七年間教禘英無理拘捕,强行 時,

(廿五日光榮歸案。该选爱网 古紆塢工人寨全光、陳振強、陳達
入黑獄的,他们地然受到非常嚴重 的要求,他們推出 也是 -
五金工人林觀、陈景洪、斯-木匠工人渾成。樹瀑工人陈隆
的迎賓海得,在飢寒傷送 劉水果、醫保、菇海焘、異北遠
裕,他们回到自己所膛工青单位" 下,身體健備受摧殘,但是

、盧腹、箕、林盛、何啟封、 受到他们的想鳥和各工會工人的热

1站雅爱!

堅持鬥爭光榮出獄

廿四戰友受到歡迎

他們爲維護民族尊嚴,堅持不屈不撓的門

爭精神,受到工會和朋友的讚揚

素胡、黑毒、吳瑞书-琠S*(*》、鳳鳳葵【女】冫康托工人賁培,太古工人
群文完、陳醫粜、改逐漸,宋匠工人成,對工人欣裕。他們国K自己所属工青年位

C

丁凡宸火義?智科光打成裕的立場,建行丁不以不拉的鬥特·扮养了敵人的秘慢斯洛。

EA

懈,寫黃打散。出獄騰友们表示,許汝黑内外的一片上彭野和祈满材应里攝反鬥事

磨头有曾當局提出了』

保前逛完一如古代的村,

加緊亭間,在新的工作和鬥爭中,

其以自己的一切

4

EARLIEST DATE OF DISCHARGING "CONFRONTATION PRISONERS"

DATE STANLEY

TLOW

TOTAL

DATE

STANLEY 10

TLCW

ROWA

1970

SEPT

1974

F.

5

L

7

JAN.

4

+

Oct

FEB.

I

NOV. DEC.

.1971 JAN.

FEB

MAR.

4

APR.

MAY

1

JUNE

1

+

JULY

2

CA

2

MAR.

2

AUG.

2

2

APR.

SEPT.

MAY.

OCA

NOV.

JUNE

JULY

21

2

23

!

DEC.

AUG. SEPT

1975

DEC.

1

4 OCT

NOV,

DEC.

**1972

1976

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