Chinese Laugh At Pulling Of British Lion's Mane

Chronicle (Levin), 7 May 1949, Page 5

Chinese Laugh At Pulling Of British Lion's Mane

Beceived Friday, 11.50 p.m. HONG KON.G-, May 6. Reuter says tjie treacherous murder of thie two British niarine police officers might be the first incident in the gr.adtially develop^ing wave of internal nnrest in the colony, a responsible British source with wide experienee in China said today. The bulk of Hong Kong's Chinese population was seeretl^ laughing at the way the British Lion had its mane pullecl in the Yangtze River incident involving the Ametli-yst. The Chinese attitnde seemed to be hardL . ening towards the British as the Communists swept south. The source said it would be foolish now to plaee- too mnch reliance on the loyalty of' a good deal of the Chinese population. ~ Everything jjossible should be done to avert a situation comparabl|B with Malaya. Today 's murders demonstrated- the difficult internal security task that might lie ahead of the colony 's police foree . caused by the changing Chinese psychological outiook. British officers were not only an easy prey to the possible treachery of their Chinese subordinates but were al'so exposed.to extra danger of . raiders from comparative safety across the Chinese border. An earlier Reuter message said that two British police inspectors and a Chinese detective were sliot dead early today whilfe they were asleep aboard a police launch anchored offi an island ih Mirs Bay 25 miles northeast of Hong Kong. The mnrderers com])elled the wounded coxswain of the launch to steerffit to Chinese territory where it- was stripped of- its armamenk" v Mirs Bay is south of Bias Bay, the well-known pirate hannt on the South China eoast.