ROUTINE
CYPHER/CAT'A'
HONGKONG
TO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 643
20 MAY 1968
CONFIDENT IAL
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
RECEIVED IN
ARCHIVES.
1968
HMA
(554)
SECRET
Second copy
copy for entry in
.Dept.
Top copy sent to....
........... F
.Dept.
ADDRESSED CO TELNO 643 OF 20TH MAY RFI PEKING.
548 PEKING TELEGRAM 420 : GREY.
A MAJOR DIFFICULTY ABOUT RELEASING PRISONERS TO CHINA UNTIL THEIR
SENTENCES IN HONG KONG EXPIRE IS THAT WE BECOME HEAVILY DEPENDENT
ON CHI ESE GOOD FAITH. IT WOULD BE ONLY TOO EASY TO SLIP SUCH PEOPLE
BACK OVER THE BORDER WITH FALSE PAPERS. MANY OF THE PEOPLE WITH
LONGER SENTENCES HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES OF MAJOR DANGER TO THE
PUBLIC, LIKE BOMBING: AND WE COULD BE HEAVILY CRITICISED FOR
NEGLECTING PUBLIC SAFETY IF WE LET THEM GO TO CHINA WITHOUT
RECEIVING VERY FIRM ASSURANCES FROM THE CPG (WHICH WE ARE HARDLY
LIKELY TO GET, AT LEAST IN A FORM THAT WE COULD PUBLICISE).
2.
THE TECHNICAL QUESTION OF OUR ISSUING POST-DATED RE-ENTRY
PERMITS NEED NOT IN ITSELF RAISE MAJOR DIFFICULTIES. THERE ARE THE
FOLLOWING POSSIBILITIES:-
(A) TO ISSUE ORDINARY RE-ENTRY
PERMITS, BUT PUT THE PEOPLE
CONCERNED ON THE WATCH LIST. THIS COULD CESPECIALLY IF THE NUMBERS
RELEASED TO CHINA WERE LARGE) IMPOSE A HEAVY BURDEN ON THE IMMIGRATION
AUTHORITIES.
(B) TO ISSUE THEM POST-DATED ENTRY, REPEAT ENTRY, PERMITS. THIS
WOULDBE AN ENTIRELY NEW PROCEDURE FOR HONG KONG RESIDENTS AND
WOULD PROBABLY BE UNACCEPTABLE TO CHINESE ON GROUNDS OF PRINCIPLE.
(C) TO ISSUE RE-ENTRY PERMITS WITH AN OVERT ENDORSEMENT THAT THEY
WOULD NOT BE VALID UNTIL A CERTAIN LATER DATE. THIS WOULD
SEEM TO OFFER THE LEAST PROBLEMS FROM THE TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL
POINT OF VIEW.
3. THE QUESTION OF CHOI (COUR TELEGRAM 454 PARA 30 WAS BROACHED
RO
548
/TO AN
Sunary def
I'm 506 ou 7 SANNEY
RF.
554,500.0
p.a.
-
CONFIDENTIAL