Hong Kong 1967 riots
Encyclopedia : H : HO : HON : Hong Kong 1967 riots
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A labour dispute sparked by a revolution
The political climate was tense in Hong Kong in the spring of 1967. To the north of the British colony's border, the PRC was tearing itself apart. Red Guards purged the authority and fought with each other. Riots sponsored by pro-Communist leftists erupted in the Portuguese colony of Macau located just to the west of Hong Kong the previous December. The Portuguese government sent in their army, but was unable to suppress the riots. After a general strike in January, the Portuguese found their tiny colony ungovernable, and were forced to yield to the leftist demands. Soon the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution started a year earlier would also be felt in Hong Kong.
In May, a labour dispute broke out in an artificial flower factory in San Po Kong. Picketing labour workers clashed with management, and riot police were called in on May 6. The police arrested 21 workers, and many workers were wounded. Representatives from leftist union protested at the police stations and they themselves were also arrested. The day after that, demonstrators appeared on the streets. With Little Red Books (Mao's Quotations) on their left hands, they called out communist slogans and demanded "blood for blood". Riot police arrested another 127 people. A curfew was announced and all police were called into duty. Newspapers in Beijing praised the leftist's activities, calling the British government actions "fascist atrocities". In Beijing, thousands of people demonstrated outside the office of the British charge d'affaires. The news was carried by leftist-controlled newspapers in Hong Kong. Students from leftist schools were assigned to distribute their newspapers to the public. In downtown Central district, large loudspeakers were placed on the roof of the Bank of China Building, broadcasting communist rhetoric and slogans.
On May 16, the leftists formed a "Hong Kong and Kowloon Committee for Anti-Hong Kong British Prosecution Struggle" (港九各界反抗港英迫害鬥爭委員會). Yeung Kwong (楊光) of the Federation of Trade Unions was appointed chairman of the committee. The committee was swift in action and a series of demonstrations was quickly organized. Hundreds of supporters from various leftist organizations demonstrated outside the Governor's House, chanting communist rhetoric and posting posters on the Governor's house.
Demonstrations were quickly followed by strikes. Transport services were disrupted when their labor went on periodic strikes.
More violence erupted on May 22. Riot police arrested another 167 people. Leftist rioters soon switched their tactics. They would stage in leftist newspaper offices, banks or department stores, appear on the street at the same time, throw stones at police and bypassing vehicles, then retreat into their strongholds immediately after the police arrived.
More violence
On July 8, hundreds of militia from across the border fired at the Hong Kong Police at Sha Tau Kok. Five policemen were killed in the brief exchange of fire. The People's Daily in Beijing ran editorials supporting the leftist struggle in Hong Kong. Rumours that the PRC was planning to overtake Hong Kong started circulating in the colony. Leftists attempted to organize a massive total strike in Hong Kong, but did not gather enough support. Their propaganda urging the Chinese serving in the police to turn against their British superiors also fell on deaf ears. Rioters upgraded their violence and started to attack police stations with home-made explosives. Laboratories in some leftist schools were turned into bomb making workshops.
The police fought back by raiding the leftists strongholds. In one of the raids, helicopters from the British Navy were called in to land police on the roof of a 20-plus-storey building. The police discovered bombs and weapons in the stronghold, and to their surprise, there was even a hospital complete with dispensary and an operating theatre. Emergency regulations were passed by the government, granting the police sweeping authority to quell the unrest. Leftists newspapers were banned from publishing; their schools were closed; many leftists ringleaders were arrested and detained, some of them would later be deported to the PRC.
The leftists retaliated by planting more bombs. Real bombs, mixed with even more decoys, were planted around the city. Normal life was severely disrupted and casualties began to rise. A pair of children, a seven-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother, were killed by a bomb wrapped like a gift placed outside their residence. Bomb disposal experts from the police and the British military worked to defuse many of the bombs.
When public revulsion against the violence became widely reported in the media, the leftists turned their attention to prominent figures who spoke against them. On August 24 Lam Bun, a popular radio commentator, was murdered as he drove to work. A death squad posing as road maintenance workers stopped Lam's vehicle on the street close to where he lived. They poured petrol onto Lam and his cousin and set the two on fire. Both Lam and his cousin died later in hospital. Lam had been constantly criticizing and mocking the leftist agitators in his popular radio show since the riots began. Other prominent figures of the media who had voiced opposition against the riots were also threatened. Louis Cha, then chairman of the Ming Pao News, was one of those. He left Hong Kong for almost one year before returning to the colony.
Aftermath
The waves of bombings did not subside until October of 1967. In December, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai ordered the leftist groups in Hong Kong to stop all bombings. The riots in Hong Kong finally came to an end.
In all, fifty-one people, including eleven police officers, a British Army explosives disposal expert, and a firefighter were killed in the riots. In addition, more than 800 people sustained injuries, including 200 law enforcement personnel. Confidence in the colony's future declined among some of Hong Kong's populace, and many residents sold their property and relocated overseas.
Many leftist groups with close ties to the People's Republic of China were routed during the riots of 1967. Public support for the pro-communist leftists sank to an all-time low as the public widely condemned their violent behavior. The death of Lam Bun also created Hong Kong people a very bad impact towards the leftists. Since 1967, a wide segment of the Hong Kong public has generally looked at the pro-communist groups with mistrust and suspicion. The same untrusting view is still carried by some people in Hong Kong today.
The Hong Kong Police Force was recognized for its valor and loyalty during the events by the British government. In 1969, Queen Elizabeth granted the Police Force the privilege of the Royal title. This title was to remain in use until the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China in 1997.
The legacy of the 1967 Hong Kong riots extends even to the Chinese lexicon--in Cantonese, a home-made bomb is often referred to as a "Boh Loh" (Pineapple if translated).
Trivia
Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing created his fortune by buying properties at rock-bottom prices at the height of the riots.
See also
External link
Remaking Hong Kong, the 1967 People Revolution[link]
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