Massacre Plot | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Massacre Plot

Massacre Plot
Submitted by Barbara Anslow
Tags: 
clipping

I have found the above newspaper clipping. It might be of interest - if you haven't seen it before.

The proposed massacre was kept a secret from the majority of us, thank goodness!

Regards, Barbara.

Gallery: 
1940s Hong Kong
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Submitted by David on Wed, 2018-03-14 22:03.

Dear Barbara,

Thank you for posting this. I've read reports of the planned massacre, but hadn't seen where they were originally reported.

I found a very similar article on page 1 of the China Mail for 1945-10-06 (6th Oct 1945), so I guess yours is from about the same time. The article begins:

MASSACRE THAT WAS NIPPED IN THE BUD

THE SENSATIONAL REVELATION THAT A PLAN TO MASSACRE THE ENTIRE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY OF THE COLONY ON DECEMBER 13, 1941 WAS NIPPED IN THE BUD THROUGH THE VIGILANCE OF THE HONG KONG POLICE FORCE WAS MADE BY MR. FRANK WALTER SHAFTAIN, DIRECTOR OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE AND INVESTIGATION, WHO IS LEAVING THE COLONY ON RETIREMENT TO-DAY AFTER 33 YEARS’ SERVICE WITH FORCE. IN A EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE "CHINA MAIL” YESTERDAY.

MR. SHAFTAIN SAID "ZERO HOUR WAS TO HAVE BEEN A.M. ON DECEMBER 13, 1941. INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED AT 7 P.M. ON DECEMBER 11. LEADERS OF UNDERWORLD WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AND A MEETING WAS HELD BETWEEN THEM AND POLICE OFFICIALS AT THE CECIL HOTEL. BY 5 A.M. THE FOLLOWING MORNING WE HAD COME TO TERMS WITH THE UNDERWORLD."

Details of the plan are still an "official secret" but Mr. Shaftain said that had the scheme been carried through there would have been dreadful consequences to the European community.

He added that Major-General S. K Yee, who is now on a visit to the Colony with the Chinese Military Mission, and who at that time held the rank of Colonel, lent him invaluable assistance in the negotiations with the leaders of the underworld.

The rest of the article talks about Shaftain heading to Australia "today", and of his 33-year career in the police force.

Regards, David

Submitted by Tideswell27 on Thu, 2018-03-22 12:26.

Shaftain did indeed convene a meeting with the leaders of the group who would have killed the Europeans. These leaders were, of course, leading Triad bosses.

After the meeting concluded in the Hotel Cecil, the manager of the latter was dismayed to find that a large quantity of the hotel’s silver cutlery was missing!

A large sum of money was needed to pay off the Triads not to commit this heinous crime.