CONFIDENTIAL
Reference...
งา
Dr Hoare
pare
By
injs 178
DEATH SENTENCES FOR ORGANISERS OF "SNAKEHEADS"
1.
There are several points that can be made on this subject which, while not detracting from Mr Milton's and Mr David's argument that a careful watch should be kept on the fate of illegal immigrants returned to China, may help to put the OIR under question in some kind of perspective.
2. Those who encourage others to escape from China and organise escapes to Hong Kong have long been viewed as serious offenders. The present report shows that they may be faced with death sentences and execution, if arrested and tried. However, we have no evidence that either would-be escapers detained within China or successful escapers who have been repatriated are faced with execution. They are subjected to fines or re-education of varying degrees of severity, the degree often depending on the number of attempts at illegal emigration they may have made. Persistent offenders may face imprisonment.
3.
A distinction is made between illegal emigrants detained within China and those repatriated from Hong Kong. An OIR on a Chinese youth repatriated in August 1976 showed that in detention those who had been repatriated were subjected to more restrictions than those arrested on Chinese soil, (more time spent in cells, less rations).
4. Several OIRs make it clear that considerably heavier fines are now being imposed both on unsuccessful illegal emigrants and on the families of those who have managed to get to Hong Kong and stay there. A general hardening of official attitudes towards illegal emigration is discernible.
5. Major criminal and political offences have always attracted heavy sentences, including the death penalty. During the spring of this year, a number of people were sentenced to death and in some instances executed, for criminal offences such as murder, rape and arson, for organising illegal emigration, in one or two instances for political offences and also for economic offences such as black market dealings and forgery of ration coupons. Profiteering on a large scale has always attracted severe penalties in China; and the fact that the "snake heads" organisers in question reportedly made a large profit from his activities may have turned the authorities even more against him.
CODE 18-77
16 August 1977
S. Pares
S Pares (Ms)
Far Eastern Section Research Department
CONFIDENTIAL
S$ 10/76