"PEKING REVIEW", No. 11 MARCH 11, 1966 APPENDIX L Protests to Ghanaian Authorities Personal search and attacks on Chinese experts by Ghanaian troops constitute a provocation violating the Sino-Ghanaian economic and technical co-operation agreement and harming friendly relations between the Chinese and Ghanaian peoples. Unwarranted Ghanaian demands to withdraw Chinese experts and reduce the Chinese Embassy staff in Ghana constitute another serious step to tear up the Sino-Ghanaian agreement and undermine friendship and co-operation between the two peoples. The Chinese Embassy in Accra, in two notes, strongly protested against the outrages by Ghanaian armymen and the unwarranted demands of the Ghanaian authorities. As we go to press, the first group of Chinese experts and embassy staff, numbering 125, had returned from Ghana on March 5. The February 28 note reads in part as follow: On February 27, 1966, at about 12 noon, Mr. Chou Chin-wen, leader of the Chinese construction expert team of the Ghana National Integrated Cotton Textile and Knitwear Factory at Juapong, interpreter Chin Chih-tsai, expert Yuan Yun-Tsung and Mr. Kuo Ping-Kang, a staff member of the Chinese Embassy, were proceeding to the textile factory work site from Accra by car. On their way a group of Ghanaian soldiers stopped the experts and asked them to show their identity cards. While the Chinese experts explained that they came to Ghana on the economic and technical co-operation agreement between the two countries and that no identity card was issued to them by the Ghana Government, the soldiers then forced a search on their person and beat them up. Afterwards the Chinese experts were taken to the Accra police headquarters (where the "National Liberation Council" of the coup forces was located-Editor). The soldiers there then stripped the experts naked and carried out brutal assault by using whips, gun stocks, fists and feet for as long as one hour. Only because of their repeated protests and requests were they sent back to the Chinese Embassy. Now the hospital examination proves that there is a fracture at Mr. Chou Chin-wen's hip bone and he is not able to stand up. Various wounds are also caused on the bodies and heads of the other three. The fact that the above-stated atrocities of illegal assault on the Chinese experts and the embassy staff occurred at the police headquarters in Accra cannot but be regarded as an act of intentional provocation. It not only seriously impedes the normal work of the Chinese experts, violates the agreement of economic and technical co-operations, but also harms the friendly relations between the peoples of China and Ghana. The Chinese Embassy demands that the authorities concerned should apologize for this incident, punish those persons responsible and that effective measures be taken to protect the safety of all members of the Chinese Embassy, all Chinese experts as well as other Chinese nationals in Ghana and ensure that no such incidents will occur again. The note of March 1 reads in part as follow: The memorandum handed over by Mr. Quao, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, to Mr. Huang Shih-Hsieh, Charge d'Affaires and interim of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Accra, on February 28, 1966, demands that all the Chinese technical experts working in Ghana leave the country immediately and that the staff of the Chinese Embassy be immediately cut down to 18. It has been decided that in view of political trends in certain African States, the Bureau's Activists should be sent out immediately to take care of the internal situation there. The states concerned are:Ivory Coast Upper Volta Niger Nigeria 2. This decision is based on authentic information about projected manoeuvres and plans that are being hatched and about which Osagyefo The President has been informed. 3. It is proposed that the Activists should be posted to these countries for a year and should cover events before the O.A.U. Conference in September. I have therefore provided below the details of expenditure involved. (a) Salaries for 52 months (Ref. my letter BAA/SCR.101 of 8th Dec., £14,415 (b) Foreign Service Allowance for 6 Activists on posting (Originally 5,800 4. I should point out again that funds for the Activists have been excluded from our Estimates for this Budget Year through no fault of ours and I should be grateful for funds to be released to enable the Activists to be posted as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, DIRECTOR. I wish to refer to my telex message No. BR/PR/1/64 on recent developments in Burundi and to enclose a full report on them. 2. As para-military actions against neo-colonialist forces in Africa are the responsibility of the Bureau of African Affairs, I thought it expedient to inform you of the necessity of taking such an action in Burundi, in the interest of the African cause. 3. As a sequel to my report, I wish to inform you that Chief of the Burundi Army (who was in Accra to attend the African High Command Conference) held secret meetings with me and insisted that I recommended to Osagyefo to give material assistance to the Army to overthrow the decadent monarchy. The Army is fully supported by the Workers and the masses in general. 4. As stated in my report, the King is likely to have a secret army of 60 paratroopers - definitely Western mercenaries. Also across the Burundi border in Kamembe and elsewhere are American military 'planes which may assist the King to put down any revolution. However, assessing the strength of the Army and the progressive forces, I do not think that any outside force can avail against this national avalanche of progress. 5. I cannot specify in detail the sort of arms which are necessary, but I think that it would be expedient to send small arms as diplomatic packages, considering the difficulties involved in transporting heavy packages to as a remote a place as Burundi. I may mention that some sort of financial support to the revolution may also be necessary. 6. The revolutionaries approached the Chinese also, and I had frequent discussions with the Ambassador. The Chinese are highly interested in the success of the revolution but the Ambassador could not tell me to what extent they were prepared to help. 7. At this very moment when I am drawing up this report in Kampala, the Chief of the Army is awaiting my arrival in Burundi to learn from me if there are any possibilities of assistance from Ghana. I hope, Sir, that you will give this matter your urgent but careful attention and let me have your directives as early as possible. I am, Sir, Yours very sincerely, (Sgd.) M. K. AMEKO Dear Mr. Dei-Anang NB Two of our experts must accompany our contingent to teach them in the handling of weapons from the E which we shall be sending. A. K. BARDEN, ESQ., DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS, ACCRA. |