James Elms talks to RTHK's Janice Wong
A retired senior superintendent involved in the suppression of the 1967 riots in Hong Kong said it would be a good idea for the police to consult retired officers who were there at the time, before completing a more comprehensive account what happened 48 years ago.
James Elms said people who were actually involved in the events are still around and hoped the rewriting was not an attempt to shut out that part of the history.
The police have come under criticism after it updated their account of the 1967 riots on their website. For example, references to the so-called "communist militia", who shot dead five policemen, have now been replaced by the words "mainland gunmen".
Descriptions of rioters making bombs in left-wing schools, or brandishing copies of chairman Mao Zedong's books as they marched on Government House, have all been taken out.
The Police Chief Stephen Lo had rejected the criticisms and said it was only a trimming of the contents on their website to make it more accessible for users.
But Elms told RTHK’s Janice Wong he does not believe that explanation.
James Elms said people who were actually involved in the events are still around and hoped the rewriting was not an attempt to shut out that part of the history.
The police have come under criticism after it updated their account of the 1967 riots on their website. For example, references to the so-called "communist militia", who shot dead five policemen, have now been replaced by the words "mainland gunmen".
Descriptions of rioters making bombs in left-wing schools, or brandishing copies of chairman Mao Zedong's books as they marched on Government House, have all been taken out.
The Police Chief Stephen Lo had rejected the criticisms and said it was only a trimming of the contents on their website to make it more accessible for users.
But Elms told RTHK’s Janice Wong he does not believe that explanation.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1212160-20150918.htm
