Refugee crisis and Japanese Red Army terror: 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
Vietnam’s deepening refugee crisis extending across the globe and the threat of the Japanese Red Army group looming over Hong Kong made headlines four decades ago this week.
June 10, 1979
● Hong Kong’s governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, would fly to Washington to attend what was believed to be another round of talks on the city’s worsening refugee problem. He was expected to seek help from American officials. Just a month before, 18,718 Vietnamese arrived, with only 499 resettled overseas. Up to June that year, Hong Kong saw an influx of more than 48,600 Vietnamese refugees.
June 11, 1979
● The world’s domino-toppling record was made as a 23-year-old English civil engineer visiting New York tipped over 169,713 domino pieces. It took almost 40 minutes for the feat to unfold, as bystanders cheered on. Michael Cairney spent much of the previous two weeks on his knees to set up his vast domino “empire” at the Mid-Hudson Civic Centre in Poughkeepsie, New York.
June 12, 1979
● The Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director, Ling Tung, said he sacked a quarter of the orchestra “because [he cares] about the standard of the orchestra”. He said he felt many of the musicians were not contributing enough to the growth of music in the community as they refused to teach or participate in the local music scene.
June 13, 1979
● Hollywood movie legend John Wayne, who seldom lost a fight in more than 200 films, died after a 15-year battle with cancer. He entered hospital five weeks earlier to have an intestinal blockage removed. He was in a coma for 24 hours before he died. He was 72.
June 14, 1979
● Heavy prison sentences, including one life term, were handed out by the People’s Tribunal of Ho Chi Minh City against a gang found guilty of “inciting people to leave the country and organising their flight from the country”. The prosecution described the crime as “counter-revolutionary”, claiming the perpetrators were acting on “imperialism and international reaction” to encourage intellectuals to flee the country to challenge its new socialist regime.
Bikini-clad Russian swims to safety, protests in Beijing: past headlines
June 15, 1979
● A young boy was given a Khmer Rouge-style crucifixion punishment for stealing food from one of its soldiers. The unidentified Cambodian boy was made to stand on tiptoes while tied to a crossbar in a refugee camp in Thailand, after being repeatedly beaten.
● China’s budget deficit that year exceeded 100 million yuan, a colossal figure that could put the country into an economic crisis, according to vice-premier Li Xiannian in an official report. As a result, the government was planning to impose drastic cuts in public expenditure, by up to one-third in some departments.
June 16, 1979
● Terrorist fanatics of the Japanese Red Army threatened a major attack “somewhere in Southeast Asia” within that month, with Hong Kong named as a possible target. The Japanese government issued warnings to governments, police forces, and civil aviation authorities throughout Asia.
● The Malaysian government maintained a discreet silence following an earlier announcement that all the 76,000 Vietnamese refugees in the country would be pushed out to sea and all new arrivals would be shot on sight. As the world reacted with alarm to Malaysia’s intentions, the government official who announced the new policy, deputy prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, declined to elaborate further.
Remember A Day looks at significant news and events reported by the Post during this week in history
