RIOT IN MACAO

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31234, 5 December 1966, Page 17

RIOT IN MACAO

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MACAO, Deci 4. Portuguese troops today opened fire on Leftwing Chinese who ignored orders not to gather in groups on the streets of Macao. Troops and armed police patrolled the streets and guarded vital installations as Macao authorities made repeated radio appeals for the

predominantly Chinese population to stay indoors. Many Chinese residents, including women and children, gathered in groups outside the City Hall and the Post Office soon after the overnight curfew was lifted.

They ignored orders to disperse and Portuguese troops fired warning shots as they marched forward towards them. “Wild Rampage” The demonstrators went on a wild rampage, defacing and pulling down statues of Portuguese leaders, smashing windows in the City Hall, and tearing up its books and overturning cars. Macao’s streets today were a litter of debris, with traffic lights and signals smashed. The demonstrators were protesting against alleged police brutality towards Chinese workers on Taipa Island on November 15. Macao, a six-square-mile tract of Portuguese territory, and the city of the same name, lies at the mouth of the Canton river in South China. Portuguese sovereignty was recognised in 1887. The settlement is celebrated as a gambling resort