英国《每日电讯报》（Daily Telegraph）称上周六（4月26日）包括四名军人在内的10名中国人叛逃至香港，港府预期大陆当局今天会提出遣返这批人的要求。报纸称，如果英国拒绝遣返这10人的话，那么将会影响到正被中共关押的英国人和美国人（其中以现年30岁的路透社驻北京记者安东尼·格雷Anthony Grey最出名）的境遇。
路透社见到此报道后，出于对格雷的关心立刻向英国外交部询问此事。于是5月2日英外交部致电香港询问此事详情。
5月3日，香港方面回电英国外交部，称《每日电讯报》的报道不确切：4月26日港府确实逮捕了10名来自广东Tai Pang公社的非法移民，他们供述是通过迫使一艘在香港注册的小船强行搭载他们而来到香港的，其中4人只是民兵而不是携带武器的正规军人。很明显每日电讯报的报道是基于是香港本地媒体声称4名共军叛逃和中共可能要求遣返他们的消息。但由于港府发言人迅速澄清了细节，所以香港媒体很快对此事不再感兴趣。虽然民兵叛逃香港的事情很罕见，但并非没有先例。至于这4个民兵，他们早就不在编而且很久没有接受训练了，所以港府预期中共不会在意这件事，也不会因此影响到格雷的遭遇。
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PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TO HONG KONG
Telno 292 2 May, 1969 (FED)
Reuters have drawn our attention to the Daily Telegraph report of 28 April in my immediately following telegram.
2. Grateful for details.
Stewart
Daily Telegraph
1969.04.28
Refusal to send back 10 Chinese, including four soldiers, who defected to Hongkong on Saturday could affect the position of Mr. Anthony Grey, 30,Reuter’s correspondent in Peking, and other Britons and Americans held in China.
The Hongkong authorities expect China to ask today for them to be returned.
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY HONG KONG TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 352 DATED 3 MAY 1969
DAILY TELEGRAPH REPORT IS INACCURATE. A GROUP OF 10 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAIPANG COMMUNE, KWANGTUNG, WERE ARRESTED IN THE SAI KUNG AREA ON 26 APRIL. THEY STATED THAT THEY HAD FORCED THE CREW OF A HONG KONG REGISTERED JUNK TO BRING THEM TO THE COLONY. THE GROUP INCLUDED FOUR LOCAL MILITIAMEN WHO WERE NOT REPEAT NOT WEARING UNIFORM AND CARRIED NO WEAPONS.
2. EARLY REPORTS IN LOCAL PRESS STATED THAT THE PARTY INCLUDED FOUR ARMED P.L.A. DEFECTORS AND SPECULATED THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WOULD ASK FOR THEIR RETURN. DAILY TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT EVIDENTLY BASED HIS STORY ON THESE REPORTS. A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN LATER PUT OUT A CORRECT VERSION OF THE FACTS WHICH KILLED PRESS INTEREST.
3. DEFECTION OF MILITIAMEN IS UNUSUAL BUT HOT UNPRECEDENTED. THE FOUR CONCERNED HAD NOT BEEN MEMBERS OF THE MILITIA FOR LONG AND HAD RECEIVED NO TRAINING. WE WOULD NOT EXPECT THE CHINESE TO MAKE ANY ENQUIRIES ABOUT THEM AND THERE IS OF COURSE NO POSSIBLE CONNECTION WITH THE GREY CASE.
FCO PLEASE PASS PRIORITY TO PEKING.
SIR D. TRENCH
出处：英国外交部档案FCO21/546
