Furthermore, the SCOPG had actively sought to undermine, co-opt or coerce eleven groups that were specifically targeted in a confidential report obtained by the paper.
Furthermore, the government attacked the New Statesman for inaccuracies and lies (such as the allegation that the committee had sought to infiltrate pressure groups).
The government rejected these figures and also asserted that the staff of 1,200 was used to accommodate state visits, avert terrorist acts, and subversive activities by Kuomintang agents.
The Hong Kong Standard revealed on 16 January 1981 that there were personal attacks as well as plans for possible infiltration of groups such as school and college associations.
The three groups that were supposedly threatened by Communist infiltration were the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU)(headed by Szeto Wah), the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) and the Government School Non-Graduate Teachers Union (GSNTU).