fco-21-876-release-of-communist-prisoners-convicted-for-offences-during-confrontations — Page 1

FILE No.

EEH 14/1

PART

B

DO NOT RETAIN FILES AND PAPERS UNNECESSARILY

RETURN THEM TO REGISTRY FOR BU, OR PA.

YEAR

STAMP

1971

SECUN

N.O. T

UPGRI

Г

H.M. DIPLOMATIC SERVICE

F L

SECRET

DEPT.

or POST

:

L

Contents checked

for transfer to

(Sad.)

DRO

24. OCT 1973

FILE No. FEH 14/1

(Part B)

TITLE: RELEASE OF PRISONERS CONVICTED FOR

OFFENCES DURING CONFRONTATION WITH

COMMUNISTS

REFER TO

IN 1967/68

REFER TO

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NAME

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DATE

(and dept, when necessary)

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NAME (and depi, when necessary)

TO

DATE

SEE:

19/18

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SECRET

YEAR STAMP

1971

CS. 41A

2600077

15,000-4/71-856423

Re SCR 7/3371/68 II

R&

K M Wilford Esq CMG AUSS

F CO

CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Michael,

"CONFRONTATION PRISONERS"

FEA

1972

COLONIAL SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

28 December, 1971

F. E. Da pr

HE Depr

for action an

-para

118

ли

S please Mist

I last wrote to you on this subject on 25 September reporting that the
September meeting of the Prison Board of Review had led to no
recommendations for reduction of sentence on "confrontation prisoners".
The Board met again on 9 December and to my considerable surprise
recommended reductions of sentence for six prisoners. Details are given
on the attached list.

2.

The Board also asked the Governor, if he accepted the recommendations,
to consider staggering the dates of release of the prisoners in order to
avoid publicity in Hong Kong as much as possible. The members of the
Board were vorried that the releases of several prisoners on one day
might cause local journalists to press avkvard questions on members of
the Board.

3.

We think that staggering the dates of release is also convenient to us
because it might encourage the Chinese Government and the local
communists to believe, as is the case, that we keep the problem under
review. It might therefore postpone the moment when the Chinese
Government realise we have come to the end of this particular road and
are left with the hard core whose sentences cannot be reduced.

4.

The Governor has accepted the Board's recommendations and fixed the
release dates indicated in the final column of the enclosure. We have
selected these dates to avoid public holidays and to give a stream of
releases at the rate of roughly one a month starting in January.

5.

We should be glad to know whether you have any vievs on the timing of
the communications to the Chinese Government. It would probably suit us
best to make then one at a time about 48 hours before the release date
and the press information also one at a time on the days of release.

LAST PAPER

cc (with encl.)

ever,

youn

Ather

(A F Maddocks)

R C Samuel Esq Peking CONFIDENTIAL

A

CONFIDENTIAL

"CONFRONTATION PRISONERS"

Previous

Sentence

Number

Nane

sentence

recommended

Previous release date

Revised release date

1.

28168

WAN Kam-hung

10 years

7 years

20. 5.74

19. 1.72

2.

28328

WONG Ting-sau

8 years

7 years

25. 1.73

1. 3.72

3.

28329

LAI Kwong

8 years

7 years

25. 1.73

14. 4.72

4.

28330

CHAN Chin-fong

8 years

7 years

25. 1.73

12. 5.72

5.

28834

TSANG Hui

9 years

7 years

16.11.73

14. 6.72

6.

27993

TANG Ching-ping

9 years

7 years

10. 1.73

14. 7.72

CONFIDENTIAL

'GS, 41A

2600077

15,000-4/71-B56483

REF.

BY BAG

SCR 1/2621/69

CONFIDENTIAL

H L1 DAVIES ESQ

FED

FCO

COLONIAL SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

124

23 December 1971

2912

The Borga The G

Enter

2

Decan Here, h

FEA or

CONFRONTATION PRISONERS : AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Copies are enclosed of a letter from Amnesty International to Denys
Roberts, the Attorney General, and of his reply.

2.

In case Amnesty International write to the F C O in parallel you might
like to be reminded that their letter reflects the careless and improper
use by the International Committee of the Red Cross of the words
"political detainee" which was discussed earlier in telegrams; the last
being Hong Kong telegram number 497 of 23 July.

1બ

Yours

illion

CC

Consul-General

GENEVA

Chancery PEKING

Encis:

Chrio

(C J Hovells)

CONFIDENTIAL

pla

Kiss H. Hinze,

Amnesty International,

International Secretariat,

Research Department,

Turnagain Lane,

Farringdon Street, LONDON, E.C.4.

Attorney General's Chambers,

Central Government Offices,

Hong Kong.

2th December, 1971,

Thank you for your letter of 15th December, 1971.

The last prisoner to be detained under Emergency Regulation 31 was
released about June 1969.

If he visited Stanley Prison in 1971, the I.C.R.C. delegate can only
have seen prisoners convicted of criminal offences.

I hope this is the information you soek.

(D.T.E. Roberts) Attorney General.

·

amnesty international

International Secretariat

&

Turnagain Lano

Farringdon Street, London, EC4 Telephone: 01-236 0111/3 Telegrams:
Amnesty London

The Rt. Hon. Mr. Denys Roberts,

The Attorney-General,

The Legal Department,

Central Government Offices, HONG KONG.

15th December, 1971

Dear Sir,

According to publications from the International Red Cross Committee,
Genova, of 10th March and 31st March 1971, one of their delegates
visited Stanley Prison in Hong Kong on 2nd February 1971, where he saw
66 political detainees and Tai Iam prison for wonen on 18th February
1971, where he saw 5 political detainees.

According to our sources of information, there were only some 30
political prisoners remaining under detention who were arrested during
the 1967 disturinnces under Energency Regulation 31. These persons were
due for release in July this

year.

We would be grateful if you could give us as full information as
possible as to the nature of these political detainces visited by the
ICRC delegate and whether, if their cases fall under the above-mentioned
1967 disturbance issue, they have all been released, and around what
date.

Thanking you for your trouble in advance,

Yours faithfully,

Fillis Hinge

Hillis Hinze (Miss) Research Department

Chairman of the international Exerative. Stan Markude, E.C.

Secretary General. Marti Emmala

·

J

PATRONS: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Great Belam Roger Baldwin,
President of the International Laague for the Rights of Man, USA. Pablo
Casali, Pueno Rico

Lt-Gin. Šie Bran Hörrecku. Great Brita Danilo Dale, Šiesty Professor
Ench Fromm. New York und Mexen

Professor Salvador de Madanaga. Spain Joan-Flaveen Lalive, Switzerland

Yehudi Menuha, Great Briza Professor Gunnar Myrdal, Sweden Professor
Giorgio La Pirs. Pablo Neruda, Chile Alan Paton, South Afries. Dr.
Marten "Memöbler. Germany · Saan Muchode, SC.. Ireland Kaly Profesor
Jukus. Šione, Australa

J

AMNESTY HAS CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH THE UNITED NATIONS (ECOSOC) UNESCO
AND WITH THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

L

P

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LEH 14| 1해

cc with

CL

叫

to Chry Riking

- P.A Hom Kay

123

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London S.W.1

17 December 1971

From the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

20.2

Thank you for your letter of 10 December about the conversation you had
with Mr Chang Wen-chin concerning prisoners still serving sentence in
Hong Kong after the riots of 1967.

As a result of the rioting 1,832 men and women were convicted of
offences and imprisoned. By the end of this year omy mainly convicted of
violent crimes, will still be in prison. The sentences of all long térm
prisoners in Hong Kong are reviewed regularly by the Prison Board of
Review which makes recommendations to the Governor. The Prisoners' state
of health and conduct are all taken into account together with any other
relevant factors. This year a total of 45 confrontation prisoners have
had their sentences reduced and thus obtained their release on the
recommendation of the Prison Board of Review.

The Chinese authorities have been informed as a matter of courtesy, of
the results of the process of review. Mr Denson, who was then our Chargé
d'Affaires in Peking, wrote to Mr Chang Wen-chin on 10 September to let
him have details of the releases for the latter part of this year. Mr
Chang is therefore aware of the present position.

T Dalyell Esq MP House of Commons London SW1

с. Рекис

Anthony Royle

H.K.

(885363) DA. 196639 1,000w 1771 Suet.

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

1

Registry No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret,

Confidential

Restricted.

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

.....In Confidence

ILLJJ LI

DRAFT

To:-

T Dalyell Esq MP

House of Commons

Type 1 +

From

Mr Royle

Telephone No. & Ext.

Department

Thank you for your letter of 10 December about the

conversation you had with Mr Chang Wen-chin concerning

prisoners still serving sentence in Hong Kong after the

riots or 1967.

As a result. ft)

and urged

After the rioting 1,83% aipame were convicted of

offences and imprisoned. By the end of this year only

23, mainly convicted of violent crimes, will still be in prism.

The sentences of all long term prisoners in

-detained.

Hong Kong are revieked regularly by the Prison Board of

Review which makes recommendations to the Governor.

The prisoners' state of health and conduct are all

taken into account together with any other relevant

factors. This year a total of 45 confrontation

reduced fon

Cand thus obtained this releasi prisoners have had their sentences
reduced on the

recommendation of the Prison Board of Review.

bear infor nos reisidante

The Chinese authorities have not pai

eisiadabiy for de

WILOW+

with ng

vertheices let their

as a matter of courtesy, the results of the

Ithe

process of review. Mr Denson, who was then our

Charge d'Affaires in Peking, wrote to Mr Chang Wen-chin

on 10 September to let him have details of the releases

for the latter part of this year. ur Chang là there-

fore aware of the present position.

1-7/12

7.

COVERING PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

a

exter ~/^ SM (122

при погрешка

心

ur Wilford

Mr Logan

عدي في

A.R

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K2 22/14

A

B

C

1

KR DALVELL'S LETTER:

CONFRONTATION PRISONERS IN HONG KONG

Paragraph 7 of Mr Samuel's letter of 26 November reported

that the Chinese had raised the question of confrontation

Prisoners with Mr Dalyell.

2. When he gave me lunch on 9 December he told me that he had

given the Chinese an undertaking to "look into" the question of

those prisoners still detained. He said he intended tabling a

question. I gave him an account of the numbers involved and

said that as the Chinese had not raised this officially fr

some time, I had hoped that attention would not be drawn to it.

Mr Dalyell then said that in that case he would confine himself

to writing Mr Royle a letter. He now writes that he intends

forwarding the reply to the Chinese. I see no harm in this,

Mr Denson's letter of 10 September to Mr Chang Wen-chin has told

them the latest position

Hr

3. Draft reply to Mr Dalyell. Hong Kong Department concur.

16 December 1971

SALMungan

J AL Morgan

Far Eastern Department

cc

Sir L Konson Kr Laird

Wilf

16

12

COVERING PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY N. 12

10 DEC 1971

HOUSE OF COMMONS

FEH 14/1 LONDON, SWI

Dem Tomy,

10. 112

Rec. and Ack, 10/2.

F. Easter Popartment

for draft reply please

from He Royle.

10/12/71

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