Raymond / Chok-Mui WONG (aka BAAG No. 99, 黃作梅) [c.1916-1955]

On 11th April 1955, Raymond Wong & Delegate perished when the Air India flight "Cashmier" exploded by time bomb over the sea on way to Bandung, Indonesia for teh Asian-African Conference.  The bomb was said to have been planted by a KMT Agent working at Kai Tak.  It was meant for Premier Zhou Enlai, who excused himself from boarding the plane in China, hence avoiding the assassination.

Raymond Wong was a key person of the Internatioal Liaison Unit of the Kong Kau Independent Brigade which later, in 1944 became part of the Communist East River Colunm Guerrillas when it was formed. He came under Tsoi Kwok-leung and directly under Cheung Tat-ming as well as worked with a small team.   Wong was regarded as Agent No. 99 of the BAAG.  Immediately after the War, he assisted Qiao Guanhua (later Chinese Foreign Minister) at the ERCG Liaison Office in HK.  He held the rank of Major in the Red Army.  In the Autunm of 1947, he went to London to receive the award of MBE for his war service, and to set up the NCNA-London.  He traveled with a British Passport issued in HK.  He returned to HK to become Director of the NCNA (the pseudo-Consulate General of the PRC in HK and as Head of the HK & Macao Works Committee of the CCP in August 1949.

Raymond Wong's wife, Lui Sin-yu, was a nurse and secret agent of the PRCIS in HK in 1951.  While in Canton China, in 1952, it was arranged for her to marry Raymond Wong and serve as his personal caregiver at the NCNA-HK.  Wong suffered from a heart discease.  After the death of Wong at the 1955 plane sabotage, Lui went to live in Beijing and continued her political works. She is still living there today. They had a son named Wong Wai-kin who worked at the Bank of China in HK in recent years.

Raymond Wong was born in HK in a family with 11 children.  He was the eldest. His grandfather was a teacher of Chinese at a HK school.  His father was a Clerk of the HK GOvernment. In 1932, Raymond studied at Queen's College and was an outstanding student and already a writer for progressive Chinese newspapers.  In 1936, he passed the entrance exam of HKU but could not afford to study at the university.  He became a clerk of the HK Government to help support the family.  He paticipated in political activities of patriotic youths, in the light of escalating Japanese aggressions towards China.  He became a CCP Party Member before the Japanese invasion in 1941.

Raymond Wong 黃作梅 (1916-01-01 to 1955-04-11)

From the entry for Raymond Wong in the BAAG Personnel Register:

Nationality Chinese, born Hongkong 1920, student, BAAG Sept 42 to March 44.

"In 1942, this man offered his services to the BAAG and out of a high sense of duty refused all offers of pay or remuneration.  In Sept 42, he returned to Hongkong and for six months he collected and forwarded to our secret post in the New Territories information concerning P/W and prison camps.  In March 1943, he obtained advance information of a Japanese purge and escaped a few hours before the Gendarmes came to arrest him.  Owing to the fact that he was one of the Red guerilla leaders, we were forced to give up all active co-operation with him, but we were allowed by the Central Government to maintain contact for the purposes of escape and evasion and for the passage of our runners through Red territory.  Wong was responsible for these negotiations right till the end of hostilities and it is no exaggeration to say that the safe delivery of all our intelligence reports and the escape of a number of American evaders were directly due to his good services.  The successful release of our personnel captured by the Reds was also due to his help in the negotiations.  He was intensely loyal to the anti-Japanese cause and displayed utmost courage during this valuable service with us."   (signed) L T Ride, Colonel.  1946.

Raymond Wong first come into contact with the BAAG in August 1942 when the FOGS team led by Ronnie Holmes penetrated Occupied HK.  FOGS was there to conduct recce of Argyle PW Camp with a view to stage massive excapes (Operation BIG MATCH / CHOPSTICKS). The Red Guerrillas facilitated the recce and provided protection. Wong was the key liaison person of the small International Liaison Unit of the pro-Communist Kong Kau Independent Brigade led by Tsoi Kwok-leung and Fong Kwok-wan.  Wong reports to Cheung Tat-ming.  However, the red Guerrillas were more interested in their political objective of being recognised by the Allies, thus legitimacy of the CCP in the war-efforts as well as receiving support of arms etc, than the field operation of FOGS.  FOGS, except for Francis Lee (75), was impeded from going down the Lion Rock for a closer look, particularly at the nullah leading into the Argle Camp, a potential avenue of mass escape.  Holmes made extensive reports of the interactions in the BAAG papers reflecting this. 

In the Autunm of 1942, BAAG Post-Z - Kwong Hang Store at Portland St Shamshuipo was set up by the BAAG for liaison with the Red Guerrillas in HK.  Raymond Wong used a pseudo-name and his family to operate the store. The money came from the BAAG. FIGS Group B Agent No.25 Chan Yeung visited Post-Z frequently for meeting with the Red Guerrillas. Post X (the Man Loon Store at Shayuchung, Dapeng Bay), Post-Y (Chekkeng, Saikung) and Post-Z as well as another store in Yaumatei (probably at 103 Wu Shiong St) became an important line of communication with AHQ Wai Chow. Post-Z was raided in March 1943.  Wong evaded capture and continued to feed the BAAG with intelligence from the Red Guerrillas, even after co-operation ceased under pressure from the KMT authorities.  They also sent rescued downed US Pilots to the BAAG AHQ at Wai Chow.

Raymond Wong was also involved actively in the FRIGATE BIRD incident when the BAAG Shipping WatchTeam was captured by the Red Guerrillas at Dapeng, and held for ransom from October to December 1943.  Wong acted as a go-between with the kidnapping group, although he asserted that the Marine Self-defence Team of Lau Pui was not part of their East River Colunm Guerrillas. He visited the BAAG team which was held at Tung Peng Chau.

In the later part of the War, leveraging the Lt Kerr Rescue at the beginning of 1944, the Red Guerrillas successfuly got the attention of the US Forces and switched their efforts to them after receiving favourable response with the efforts of Ady.  Raymond Wong remained the key liaison person.