PRIORITY
CYPHER/CAT A
FM HONG KONG 210603Z
CONFIDENTIRE E-
> IN
REGISTRỲ No. 51 =4SEP 1972
60
HEX 3/548/10
JiX
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F C O TELHO 796 OF 1ST SEPTEMBER, 1972.
PLEASE PASS THE FOLLOWING PERSONAL MESSAGE TO SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE.
GERMAN VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR HONG KONG PASSPORT HOLDERS.
YOU WILL RECALL THAT UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR H.K. PASSPORT HOLDERS TO OBTAIN VISAS TO ENTER WEST GERMANY AND THAT PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN MADE PREVIOUSLY THAT IN ORDER TO PERSUADE THE GERMAN AUTHORITIES TO RELAX THEIR ATTITUDE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD UNDERTAKE, CONTRARY TO NORMAL INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE, TO MEET THE COSTS OF ANY H.K. PASSPORT HOLDERS WHO MIGHT BE DEPORTED FROM WEST GERMANY.
2.
HOWEVER, MORE RECENTLY, IN VIEW OF THE VERY CONSIDERABLE NUMBER (APPROXIMATELY 4,30%) OF CHINESE PERSONS OF HONG KONG ORIGIN WHO ARE ALLEGED TO BE LIVING ILLICITLY IN THE NETHERLANDS AND WHO MIGHT INFILTRATE INTO GERMANY, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE INADVISABLE TO PURSUE THE PROPOSAL TO REFUND DEPORTATION EXPENSES BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT INVOLVED, AND THAT OTHER MEANS OF ATTEMPTING TO PERSUADE THE GERMAN AUTHORIT- IES TO RELAX THEIR VISA REGULATIONS SHOULD BE EXPLORED.
3.
AS YOU HAD INSTRUCTED, AN INFORMATION NOTE WAS ACCORDINGLY ISSUED TO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL EXPLAINING THE REASONS FOR THIS CHANGE OF VIEW. AS WE EXPECTED HOWEVER, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAVE RETURNED TO THE CHARGE NOT WITHOUT MY SYMPATHY. IN PARTICULAR AFTER VOICING THEIR CONTINUING OBJECTIONS TO THE NEED FOR A VISA AND A MONETARY BOND (THE LATTER BEING FELT TO BE PARTICULARLY HUMILIATING), THEY HAVE QUERIED THE FIGURE OF APPROXIMATELY 4,000 CHINESE ILLICITLY LIVING IN THE NETHERLANDS, WHICH WAS SUPPLIED TO US BY THE EMBASSY AT THE HAGUE ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE HEAD OF ALIENS DEPARTMENT AT THE DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTRY. MEMBERS FEEL THAT IF THESE 4,000 CHINESE HAVE BEEN POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS HONG KONG PASSPORT HOLDERS THE FIGURE MUST BE ACCEPTED, BUT IF IT IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT ANY
CONFIDENTIAL
/CHINESE