The Riots in Hong Kong

Our year in Hong Kong - 1967 - proved to be a very eventful time. Paul travelled during the year much of the time, ministering into many of the S.E. Asian countries. Of these, Vietnam was a major destination. The Vietnam War was in full swing and Paul would go there regularly to minister to the wounded South Vietnamese troops constantly being brought into the hospitals. He saw many of them come to the Lord.

Just prior to Paul leaving for one of these visits riots broke out in Kowloon, across the harbour from the Hong Kong island. We kept on the Hong Kong side during that time, for obvious safety reasons, but listened very carefully to the news of what was happening. Although local reason was given for the riots we all knew the real reason for them. The “Cultural Revolution” had broken out in mainland China. Multitudes of people were being imprisoned and slaughtered there. We knew the riots in Hong Kong were a ploy to distract the world’s attention off what was happening in the mainland. We also knew China had the power to take Hong Kong back from Britain whenever she chose. So the occurring events were of great importance to us. The news of the confrontation of the rioters with Hong Kong police was disturbing and hearing of the rioters throwing petrol over some police and setting light to them was very distressing, as was the news of Westerners being attacked and cars or taxis in which Westerners were riding being overturned and set on fire. Paul was due to fly out for another visit to Vietnam but refused to go while the trouble was astir, even though it was across the harbour and not on the Hong Kong island side. Then, suddenly, everything seemed to calm down. Paul waited several days. Nothing further happened and life seemed back to normal. I encouraged him to go.

“Everything’s all right now” I said.

Little did I realize what lay ahead. I had no idea as Paul’s plane took off and the children and I waved him goodbye that very soon the airport would be closed and he would not be able to get back into Hong Kong.

The next morning the riots broke out on the Hong Kong island.

Rampage

I woke to a sunny morning. The morning news was filled with very ordinary events. The main item was the expected return of the Governor who had gone to England to get advice on how to handle the recent events. It seemed an unnecessary trip for him as all was now calm in Kowloon. Everyone was going about their usual business. Life was back to normal. I decided to walk down to the market place with the children.

As I reached the bottom of the hill I received a shock. A large group of “Red Guards” (the rioters of Kowloon) turned the corner and began marching up towards me. All were in uniform...white shirts, navy shorts...all carrying Mao Tse Tung’s little red book and, holding it high, all chanting...

“Mao Tse Tung! May he live 10,000 years!”

Everything I heard about what had happened to some Westerners on the Kowloon side flooded my mind. “What shall I do” I thought. “I can’t run. The children are too small and it would attract too much attention”.

I decided, as nonchalantly as I could, to cross over to the other side. Trying to appear as calm as I could, holding tightly onto the children’s hands, I climbed under the road barrier with them and crossed to the other side. We had no sooner got there when a large number of the Red Guards turned the corner on that side too. They were now spread right across the street (3000 altogether, we learnt later). All raising their books into the air and chanting.

There was nowhere to go. I couldn’t keep walking down through them, I couldn’t go up because the children wouldn’t have been able to keep up and we would have been caught in the midst of them. I could not go back across the road and behind us was a solid brick wall. We were trapped where we were. I pushed the children behind me to hide them between the wall and me, and I began to pray. The rioters were in regimented lines and each line was less than an arm’s length away from me. Every line that passed us I was praying “Lord, please let them just go by....Lord, please let them just go by”. Not one Red Guard turned his head to see me as they passed. It was as though the children and I were invisible to them. I believe the Lord had sent his angel to guard us, as the two beautiful scriptures in the Psalms promise...

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them" Psalm 34:7.

"If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" Psalm 91:9-11.

I realized later they were all heading for Government House which was situated further up the hill on Macdonald Road where we lived. The balcony of our apartment overlooked Government House, some distance away, and when I returned home (with great relief) I went out onto the balcony with some of our team members to watch what was taking place. Three thousand Red Guards, in regimented lines, covered the road opposite the entrance to Government House. We could hear the constant chant in Cantonese raised in the air:

“Mao Tse Tung! May he live 10,000 years!”

Between them and the huge front gate of the House were the Hong Kong police. I had turned on the radio so we could hear the description of the events even as we watched it happening before our eyes. Then, suddenly we heard a whirring sound above us.

“Look, Mummy” shouted David excitedly, “A helicopter!”

“And here comes the Governor now” said the voice on the radio.

We knew then, as we watched the helicopter, that we were watching the return of the Governor General from his visit to England. We watched it fly over us and then land in the grounds of the Government House, in front of its back entrance. The crowds in front of the House were chanting loudly, still barricaded from the entrance by a solid line of police facing them, with their backs to the wall of the House.

Then, suddenly, I saw movement inside the grounds. Someone was there, hiding behind a tree. I saw the figure run to the next tree, then the next one. He was dodging between the trees heading towards the helicopter. Then...another one appeared from behind another tree. Then another. There were about eight in all, all Red Guards, all dodging behind the trees heading towards the helicopter. All the police were outside the grounds, lined up facing the chanting crowd of Red Guards. No one had seen the intruders in the grounds. I knew the Governor was in great danger.

I ran to the telephone and called the Hong Kong police headquarters.

“The Governor’s helicopter has just landed” I said as the phone was answered, “And some of the Red Guards are in the grounds heading towards the Governor”.

“Just a moment please” was the reply.

Another voice came on the phone. It was the Chief Inspector of Police. I explained,

“I’m watching the events at Government House from my verandah. The Governor’s helicopter has just landed, and there are several Red Guards in the grounds heading towards it”.

“In the grounds!” It was as though he almost dropped the phone. “Thank you for informing us” he said. “What is your name?”

I hesitated. Crazy thoughts went through my head. “What if they win” I thought. “What if they take over Hong Kong? There’s my name in writing for them to see!” I brushed the thoughts aside and gave the Inspector my details.

I went back to the verandah and watched the events. It was like watching a T.V. show but this was the real thing. One of the police, obviously with a “walkie-talkie”, had been contacted. We saw him call several of the police from the lines in front of the House. They broke away, the other police quickly filling in the gap, then they ran through the gates. We watched the chase...with the voice of the radio announcer excitedly giving the comments as the events took place...the Red Guards running now as fast as they could towards the helicopter, the police tearing after them, finally catching them and throwing them to the ground. The Governor, seemingly oblivious to what was happening, stepped out of the helicopter and within seconds was inside the House.

“I think I just saved the Governor’s life” I thought to myself with a smile.

An Assurance and a Caution from the Lord

The days that followed were full of demonstrations, violence and anxiety about what was going to happen. The airport was closed to incoming flights. All expatriots were on 24 hours notice by their embassies to leave Hong Kong. One of the Chinese Christians, who had escaped the mainland when the Communists had taken over, called me with great concern.

“Fill everything you can find with water” he said. “Your bathtub...every pot and every pan. This is just like it happened in the mainland and the first thing they will do is set fire to the Westerner’s homes. Fill everything you can find with water!” He sounded very frightened on the phone.

I decided it was time to hear from the Lord! That night I spent all night seeking the Lord.

“You know what is going to happen, Lord” I said, “You know if they are going to take Hong Kong. Should we fly out now?”

I knew even that would mean the Lord would have to work a “miracle” for us. We had only HK$8 in the bank at that time. I prayed earnestly and anxiously all night, crying out to the Lord for His wisdom and answers.

At 3 a.m. a beautiful sense of peace came over me. I knew everything was going to be all right. I knew it would all pass over. I also knew the next day was going to be the worst day of the riots. Clearly the Lord spoke to my heart:

“Do not go out tomorrow. Do not take the children out.”

Tomorrow was Sunday. We had a visiting ministry staying with us and he was due to speak in one of the churches downtown in the morning. It was my responsibility to take him to the church. When morning came I tried to explain to him what the Lord had told me. I was not to go out that day. I was not to take the children out. The gentleman laughed. It was going to be fine, he insisted. He had to keep his appointment. There was no need to fear. I tried to explain it wasn’t fear but a definite instruction from the Lord but I know he thought I was just being fearful.

“I’m at my best in a crisis” he said.

I know he was trying to encourage me. Finally I submitted and, to my shame, disobeyed the Lord and took him to the church.

As we stood on the curb waiting for a taxi I will never forget how I felt. I knew I was in disobedience to the Lord. Many taxis went by but all refused to stop for us. During the riots in Kowloon, any taxi driver caught driving Westerners had had his taxi turned over and set on fire. We knew in the present situation they were afraid to pick us up. Then a taxi did pull up and we got in. Never have I seen a man so afraid. The driver was literally shaking all over. When he saw the children he looked at me and spoke, in his broken English, words that I knew were directly from the Lord.

“Velly bad you bring children out today!”

As we drove down towards the city centre the crowds in the streets got so thick, spreading off the footpaths across the roads, that the taxi could only crawl along in the midst of the masses of people. The tension in the atmosphere was so high it was as though you could tangibly touch it. I sat in the back with the children, praying.

“Forgive me, Lord, for disobeying you.”

I made up my mind. When we got to the church I would not get out. I would go back home. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the taxi arrived at the church. The visiting ministry got out and I said...

“I have to take the children back home. The Lord told me not to come out today and I've disobeyed Him.”

I told the taxi driver to take me back, much to the poor man’s horror, and he nervously drove off. He was obviously very sorry we weren’t getting out. As I look back now I realize the goodness of the man’s heart to take us. I believe he was sent by God. As we drove around the corner into Macdonald Road a huge crowd of Red Guards lined the street. Their backs were to us. Facing them was a large number of police. It was obvious a battle was about to ensue. The taxi driver called out:

“Get down! Put your heads down!” and he swung the taxi round as hard as he could and headed away from the rioters.

I pushed the children’s little blond heads down below the windows and got down myself. We stayed like that as the driver drove all the way around the island to get us back another way to Macdonald Road. With great relief he let us off outside our block of apartments.

There was indeed a big battle. The rioters taunted the police but got no response until they began to physically attack. The riots, of course, were in the headlines of the newspapers all over the world the next day. Photos of injured rioters lying on top of each other spread the front pages “exposing” the “atrocities” of the Hong Kong police. We knew, however, the truth was very different. The restraint and discipline of the Hong Kong police had amazed us. We knew, too, the moment any order was given to defend any attack from the rioters, the Red Guards would then throw themselves on top of one another and pose, as though injured, for the foreign press photographers.

Our friend ministered in the Sunday morning service but because of the riots was unable to get back to the apartment and had to stay all day and all night in the church. As the Lord had revealed to me, everything calmed down after that day. From then on the only battle was what we came to call “The battle of the loud speakers”. From the top of the Bank of China, the Communists began to loudly broadcast propaganda, proclaiming the atrocities of the police, the evils of the British, and the glories of Communism. In response, the British government began to play (very loudly) very British songs such as “The British Grenadiers” from the top of the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank. The voice from the China Bank would get louder and then the music from the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank would be turned up louder. This went on for several days. After the tension of the previous days, it really was quite amusing.

The airport was reopened and Paul, who had been in his own “danger spot”, ministering to the Vietnamese troops in the hospitals in Saigon, was able to return.