East German spy lovers, Prince Charles chased by a bikini model, and dead pigs on rails: headlines from 40 years ago
- A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
March 11, 1979
● Petitions were raised and tensions ran high in the isolated New South Wales township of Yanco after favourite local chefs were arrested. Five Hong Kong Chinese were detained as illegal immigrants, after authorities were alerted to the chefs’ presence by the restaurant’s reputation as a popular dining spot. The townspeople said they could not face the thought of going back to local fare and started a campaign to stop the cooks from being deported.
● Prince Charles was chased, grabbed, and kissed by a bikini-clad fashion model while going for an early morning swim at a beach in Perth during his three-week visit to Australia. Within seconds of arriving on Australian soil three days earlier, he was kissed by another young woman at Perth Airport.
March 12, 1979
● West German government ministries began a poster campaign that warned female employees against the amorous practices of communist agents, a leading intelligence official said. The message on posters and stickers read: “There is a code word that opens safes – love”. The campaign followed a series of arrests of suspected East German spies in West Germany.