英領マラヤにおける華人事務局の情報收集活動 --一九三〇年代前半の『華人動向月報』の分析を中心に--

Abstract

From the mid-19ᵗʰ to the early 20ᵗʰ century, Chinese immigrants, mainly from Southern China, were essential for colonial economic developments in British Malaya. At the same time, these immigrants were also sources of trouble and disturbances for colonial peace and order. Therefore, it was crucial for the British colonial government in Malaya to properly control Chinese immigrants and effectively suppress riots, disruptions, and political movements led by them. The Chinese Protectorate was established in 1877 to tackle these issues. The establishment of the Chinese Protectorate, its activities against Chinese “secret societies, ” protection and control of Chinese immigrants by the Protectorate, and relations between Chinese residents and the Protectorate in Singapore and Penang have been the chief issues dealt with in previous studies. However, the activities of the Chinese Protectorate, especially those in the 20th century, are still unclear. This paper reveals the activities of the Chinese Secretariat, the new name given the Chinese Protectorate in 1929, especially surveillance activities directed at the Chinese through an analysis of the Monthly Review of Chinese Affairs, which the Chinese Secretariat started to publish in 1930. In the Monthly Review of Chinese Affairs, the Chinese Secretariat listed various political, economic, and social issues and problems related to the Chinese people in British Malaya. The articles in the Review were based on information collected by the Chinese Secretariat from the Chinese press and books, the official documents of the Chinese government, and the censoring of publications sent from Japan and elsewhere. This paper argues the features of surveillance activities by the Chinese Secretariat by comparing the Monthly Review of Chinese Affairs with the Political Intelligence Journal published by the Special Branch of the Straits Settlements Police.