CHINESE SEAMEN SHOT

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 March 1942, Page 2

CHINESE SEAMEN SHOT

MILITARY GUARD EXONERATED

PERTH, February 24.

A finding that two Chinese seamen had been shot dead by members of the Austral&n military forces in the execution of their duty was recorded by the coroner, Mr. H. J. Craig, at. an inquest at Fremantle. Those killed were Tong Youn Tong, 44, quartermaster, and Ping Sang Hsu, 32, coal passer. Captain Alexander Naismith, commanding the British ship in which the Chinese were serving, said that trouble had begun when the Chinese had demanded increased wages, refusing fo work until their demand was fulfilled. “On January 24,” he said, “I summoned the crew and told them that if they continued to refuse work they would each be fined 5/- a day for every day they failed to carry one their duties. The crew then demanded a £2O advance for each man, and I refused, whereupon they told me that if I did not comply with their demand they would not permit me to leave the ship. For two hours they kept me prisoner in the saloon, and finally I signed a paper permitting a £lO advance they let me go. TROOPS CALLED IN “On January 26 a meeting was held between representatives of the Navy, the Seamen’s Union, and masters of ships experiencing similar trouble, and an agreement was reached. However, on January 27, when my ship had to be shifted farther along the wharf, the Chinese refused to shift it, and walked off, to return to the ship after it had been shifted by the Navy. “The next day the crew came to me and demanded another advance. This time the demand was for £5, an amount which had been agreed to at the meeting, but I refused because they had not shifted the ship the previous day and were doing no work. “I then got in touch with the nayal authorities, who contacted the military, and it was decided to have the men removed from the ships. About, 2.45 p.m. on January 28, about 30 military men came aboard to take the crew ashore. The Chinese assembled at the forehead, and then advanced in a body toward the guard. Tong was one of the foremost. He grabbed a soldier’s rifle and, in the struggle, a shot rang out, and Tong fell to the deck. “There were several other shots fired, but. when Tong fell the crew quietened down and were taken ashore. In my opinion, the trouble was due not so much to the dispute for wages, but because the Chinese were scared to go to sea.” SUBVERSIVE ELEMENT A lieutenant-commander attached to the Naval Intelligence Section reported a subversive element in connection with the trouble. “My investigations,” he said, “showed that it was not only fear of going to sea, or demand for wages, that was the immediate trouble, but also there was a subversive element present. “In consultation with the Military Security Section, it was decided to remove the Chinese crews, from the ships, to separate the subversive element, and eventually to man the ships with Chinese selected by the masters. When the guard boarded the ship to take the Chinese, they showed very great restraint, and it was not until an attempt was made to seize their arms that the shots were fired.

“Tong was first of all bayoneted in an attempt to stop him, but he had to be shot to stop a riot. One Chinese who fought his way to a gangway leading to another ship moored alongside was shot.” Members of the guard gave evidence dealing with the clash with the Chinese. A sergeant said that, with a lieutenant, he went to the bow of the ship on hearing a shot. They saw a corporal struggling with some Chinese, and the lieutenant drew his revolver and shot one of them. A corporal said that, from a scrimmage, Tong advanced and ran on to his bayonet, which entered his left side. Tong appeared to stand still for a moment. Several shots were fired, and he slumped to the deck.