U.K. Envoy Walks Out Of Peking Reception

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31381, 29 May 1967, Page 13

U.K. Envoy Walks Out Of Peking Reception

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PEKING, May 28. Britain’s Charge d’Affaires in Peking last night walked out of a reception in Peking when the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Chen Yi, accused Britain of continuing die “atrocious suppression” of Chinese in Hong Kong.

The Charge d’Affaires, Mr Donald Hopson, was at a reception given by the Afghanistan Ambassador to mark Afghanistan’s national day.

When Mr Chen spoke Mr Hopson moved forward from where he stood with other ambassadors, mounted the steps in front of Mr Chen, shook hands with the Afghanistan Ambassador, then calmly walked out. He was followed out by his wife and the British First Secretary. Mr Raymond Whitney, and his wife. When Mr Chen began his speech he was standing on the embassy terrace before a microphone, with diplomats gathered oh the lawn in front of him.

The Afghan Ambassador, Mr Mohammed Asef Sohall, was seated on a sofa behind him. Demands Repeated

Mr Chen repeated the demand made by his Government 11 days ago that all the demands of the Hong Kong workers be met He said the Government and the people of China supported the just struggle "bf patriotic compatriots in Hong Kong and firmly protest against the atrocities committed by the British Govern-

ment of suppressing Chinese residents in Hong Kong." The Foreign Minister said that in the last 11 days, Britain had disregarded the Chinese protests and demands and "continued its atrocious suppression with redoubled efforts.”

Paint Thrown

Earlier, Chinese demonstrators threw paint on vehicles and flats of British diplomats and made new protests against the handling of the unrest ill Hong Kong. A pot of whitewash was hurled at the windows of a small bus from the office of the British Charge d’Affairs which was taking wives of diplomats to a shop to buy food.

In another incident inside the guarded compound for foreign diplomatic families, orange paint was daubed on

another small bus and a paint pot was thrown at a member of the British administrative staff who tried to intervene. The six-storey red brick apartment building where British families live inside the compound is being daubed with painted slogans. Posters have been pasted across outsides of windows of ground floor flats and on walls and stair landings. Chinese staff employed by the mission continued a strike they began on Friday and demonstrated outside the office.

Mr Donald Hopson again invited them to send a deputation to his office to present their protest over the Hong Kong situation, but they refused and he would not come outside to accept their petition personally in the street.