§ 1. Captain HEILGERSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement as to the position of the British Consulate at Kashgar, in Chinese Turkestan, and the safety of the British members of the Consulate staff?
§ 2. Lord APSLEYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any information from the British Consul-General in the Chinese province of Sinkiang as to the aims and objects of the existing revolution and, in particular, as to the election of a British subject to the so-called kingship of Sinkiang; and whether, in view of the desirability of promoting friendly relations with the Chinese Government, he proposes to take any action in the matter?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir John Simon)The rising in the Chinese province of Sinkiang appears to have originated in grievances of the Tungans and the Turki 1194 tribes against the local Government. A so-called independent Moslem republic was proclaimed not long ago at Kashgar, but the Moslem leaders were subsequently expelled and a former Chinese official assumed full authority over the district on the 12th February in the name of the Chinese republic. On 14th February, in the course of fighting between Tungans on the one hand and Andijani and Khirgiz tribesmen on the other, the door of the British Consulate-General at Kashgar was forced and I regret to state that one British subject (a Consulate messenger) was killed and four others wounded. According to my latest information, the wounded are all making satisfactory progress, and the fighting has ceased. On 7th March His Majesty's Minister at Peking made, on my instructions, a strong protest to the Chinese Government and requested that proper steps should immediately be taken to ensure protection of the Consulate-General in the future. The Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed the sincere regret of the Chinese Government at the occurrence. I have no information as to any British subject having received an invitation to be King of Sinkiang; but inquiries are being made of His Majesty's Consul-General at Kashgar as to the origin of the report.