Force criticised for taking out sensitive references such as 'red fat cats' and 'communist militia' in describing riots, but claims changes were supposed to make account 'more concise'
SAMUEL CHANsamuel.chan@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 12:00am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 12:00am
Police come face to face with protesters wielding Mao's "little red book" in 1967. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The police force has amended its official version of history during the 1967 riots by replacing phrases like "communist militia" with "gunmen" and deleting detailed descriptions of the events, such as pro-Beijing leftist mobs threatening bus and tram drivers who refused to strike.
A former senior policeman involved in the suppression of the riots called such change "unnecessary", while a political scientist said it showed how political correctness was foremost in the minds of officials.
However a police spokesman said the amendments were motivated only be a wish to offer a "more concise presentation of content with revised wordings".
READ MORE: Leftists' role in riots must not be whitewashed
By contrasting the current and a previous version of the webpage archived in June last year, which offers an official perspective of how the force views its own history between 1945 and 1967, web users of HKGolden - an online forum popular among youngsters critical of the establishment - found that certain parts had vanished.
Revisions were made to both the Chinese and English-language accounts.
The 1967 riots were an extension of the mainland's Cultural Revolution, during which pro-Beijing radicals turned to violence in seeking to overthrow the colonial government.
Hong Kong police are courting controversy with a revised account of the 1967 riots. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A paragraph that details the height of the riots after the trigger point of an increase in Star Ferry fares was cut by more than half. Among passages deleted were references to rioters waving the Quotations of Chairman Mao when they marched on Government House.
References to attacks on members of the public and the behaviour of local "red elites" were also taken out.
The description of culprits who killed five policemen and injured nine others in what is described as the "most serious incident of that year of violence" have been changed from "communist militia" to "gunmen".
Below is the single largest chunk of text removed:
"Bus and tram drivers were threatened, sometimes attacked if they went to work to keep Hong Kong on the move. Bombs were made in classrooms of left-wing schools and planted indiscriminately on the streets. Struggle committees were formed to foment strife against the government, although it was swiftly apparent none of the leaders [went] to China to participate in the nationwide strife that was taking such an appalling toll, and the wealthy businessmen who had blessed the troubles, the 'red fat cats', dispatched their children to universities in the much-disparaged United States and Britain."
Police veteran James Elms (right) with former leftist Peter Tsang. Photo: Jonathan Wong
A former senior superintendent involved in the suppression of the riots, James Elms, said he felt disappointed by the "unnecessary" changes. By withholding certain facts such as referring to communist militia as merely gunmen, Elms said the attempt to downplay the role of politics in a politically charged event had changed the nature of facts.
"This can only produce the opposite effect if the intention is to minimise the controversy and discussion," he said.
READ MORE: 1967 riot antagonists seek common ground
Chinese University political scientist Dr Ma Ngok said it raised the question of why the police management had found the previous version politically sensitive. "In the past they [police] might not dodge the issue, but now political correctness may be the top concern."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1858143/rewriting-history-hong-kong-police-accused-political
