§ Major Beamishasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what instructions have been issued to Radio Malaya regarding broadcasts on the situation in China; what are the reasons for these instructions; and whether he is aware that the behaviour of the Communists in China is not only headline news but of first-class propaganda value if correctly handled.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsRadio Malaya is kept informed of the publicity policy of His Majesty' s Government on foreign affairs, and conforms with that policy. I am fully conscious of the importance of keeping the public in Malaya informed of recent developments in China.
§ Major Beamishasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that very few people listen to the British Broadcasting Corporation' s Far Eastern Service in Singapore; and how many people on the British Broadcasting Corporation staff at home responsible for these programmes have up-to-date knowledge of conditions in Malaya.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsThe broadcasts of the Far Eastern Service of the B.B.C. from London are not addressed specifically to Singapore, but the transmissions in English, Chinese and Malay are known to have an audience there.
In reply to the latter part of the Question, two Malays have been seconded from Radio Malaya to the B.B.C. They have both re-visited Malaya during the past year. The Malay Programme Organiser has served in Malaya since the war. The Assistant Head of the Far Eastern Service and the Chinese Programme Organiser lived in Malaya before the war. Together with the other senior members of this service, I understand that they have maintained and kept up-to-date their knowledge of events in Malaya.