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March 8, 2014 |
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Large scale riots erupted in Hong Kong in May 1967. Pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China (PRC), turned a labour dispute into large scale anti-British colonial rule demonstrations. Demonstrators clashed with the police and turned violent. Instigated by events in the PRC, leftists called for massive Strike action|strikes and organized numerous demonstrations, while the police stormed the leftists' strongholds and put their active leaders under arrest. Riots turned more violent when the leftists resorted to terrorist attacks, planting fake and real bombs in the city and murdering members of the press who voiced opinions against their actions. By the time that the riots finally subsided at the end of the year, 51 people had been killed and over 800 had been wounded. 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 (China)|Red Guards purged the authority and fought at each other. Riots sponsored by pro-Communist leftists erupted in the Portuguese colony of Macau located just to the west of Hong Kong in 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 Cultural Revolution|Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution started a year before 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 British charge d'affaires office. 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, Hong Kong|Central district, large loudspeakers were placed on the roof 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 Government House, Hong Kong|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. Image:1967HKGriot2.jpg|thumb|A home-made bomb during the riot. On top of it are words in Chinese characters, meaning "Fry the Yellow Dog", "Roast the White Pig", "Fellow Countrymen stay clear". "Yellow Dog" refers to the ethnic Chinese|Chinese policemen, "White Pig" refers to the British. 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 ethnic Chinese|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 of the 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 operation theatre. Emergency regulations were passed by the government, granting the police with sweeping authorities. Leftists newspapers were banned from publishing; their schools were closed; many leftists ringleaders were arrested and detained, some of them would be deported into the PRC later. The leftists retaliated by planting more bombs. Real bombs, mixed with even more fake ones, 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 where they lived. 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 attentions to prominent figures who spoke against them. On August 24 Lam Bun, a popular radio commentator, was murdered when 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 them 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|Ming Pao News, was one of those. He left Hong Kong for almost one year before returning to the colony. The waves of bombings did not subside until October of the year. 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. Over 800 people sustained injuries as a result, 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 Party of China|communist leftists sank to an all-time low as the public widely condemned their violent behavior. 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, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth granted the Police Force the privilege of the Royal title. This title was remained in use until the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty to People's Republic of China|China in 1997. The infamous bomb that is called "Boo Loh" (Pineapple if translated), is still used in Cantonese phrase when mentioning home made bomb. category:History of Hong Kong|67 Riots Category:British rule in Hong Kong|67 Riots Category:riots zh:六七暴動 <!--Translated from Chinese version/pre-Sept 05--> This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hong Kong 1967 riots".
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