Govt. Measures In Hong Kong

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31375, 22 May 1967, Page 11

Govt. Measures In Hong Kong

(N.Z. P.A .-Reuter— Copyright)

HONG KONG, May 21.

The Hong Kong Government put urgent special measures into force today after four days of mounting anti-British demonstrations.

The worst demonstration happened last night as crowds of Chinese youths, led by older men, rampaged through Hong Kong’s crowded Chinese Wanchai area.

The measures coincided with fears that CommunistNationalist clashes might turn the current wave of riots into a repetition of the colony’s 1956 bloodbath. Sixty were killed and 242 confirmed injured in that year. A statement this morning said that citizens wanting to petition the Governor, Sir David Trench, at his official residence, would be permitted to do so only in small numbers.

During the last four days, hundreds of demonstrators were allowed to assemble outside Government House while representatives of each group handed in their petitions through the chained gates. It was also decided to close a number of roads, surrounding Government House, to vehicles. The statement came after an announcement last night threatening to ban disorderly processions or unlawful gatherings. Thousands of Left-wingers screamed anti-British abuse as police linked arms to form a human chain outside Government House yesterday. The demonstrators broke the cordon several times.

About 3500 Chinese left Government House and returned to their headquarters in the Peking-owned Bank of China building. They forced photographers to expose their films, attempted to block the tramway system with rubbish and demonstrated outside the Hilton Hotel, the Supreme Court and in the surrounding streets. In the Wanchai area last night, a European photographer was attacked and beaten up, while another European was cornered, kicked and then daubed with red paint. Thousands of other Chinese, although not actually taking part, cheered and applauded from footpaths and balconies. At one stage yesterday, a British Broadcasting Corporation team was stopped by some Chinese from filming the demonstrations but quick action by police prevented any unpleasant incident In Peking demonstrators switched their attentions from the British mission to the Soviet Embassy yesterday and plastered posters over nearby walls which read “Hang Kosygin, Hang Brezhnev," and “Soviets, get out of China.”

Donges Recovering.—Dr. Eben Donges, the Presidentelect of South Africa who suffered a brain hemorrhage 10 days ago, is now conscious for long periods of time, according to a hospital bulletin. —Capetown, May 21.