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EDUCATION.
7. TWO COMMUNIST SCHOOLS HAVE APPLIED TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR PERMISSION (WHICH WILL BE GRANTED) TO REPLACE THEIR PRIMARY EXTENSION CLASSES (SECONDARY CLASSES NOT DESIGNED FOR THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION COURSES) WITH STANDARD SECONDARY CLASSES. IN RESPONSE TO AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR, FOUR LOCAL COMMUNIST SCHOOLS HAVE APPLIED TO JOIN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES ALLOCATION SYSTEM. THIS GIVES THEIR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE INTO NON-COMMUNIST SECONDARY SCHOOLS (BUT NOT VICE VERSA, SINCE THESE SCHOOLS HAVE NOT JOINED THE ''BOUGHT PLACE'' SCHEME).
SOCIAL PRESSURE GROUPS.
8. ''THE PEOPLES' COUNCIL OF PUBLIC HOUSING POLICY'', THE SUCCESSOR TO THE 'RENTAL ACTION GROUP'', HAS BEEN PRESSING, BUT
WITH LITTLE SUCCESS, A POLICY OF OPPOSING THE RENT INCREASES IN PRE-1973 HOUSING ESTATES (WHICH CAME INTO EFFECT ON 1 DECEMBER). THERE ARE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE RENTS WILL NOT BE PAID.
THE
9. A CAMPAIGN CALLING ITSELF THE ''SECOND CHINESE LANGUAGE MOVEMENT' CAME INTO BEING AFTER THE PUBLICATION BY THE HONG KONG
EXAMINATION AUTHORITY OF A DECISION MAKING A PASS AT HIGHER LEVEL IN ENGLISH, BUT NOT IN CHINESE, A PREREQUISITE FOR ENTRANCE TO THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. OPPOSITION TO THIS DECISION
CAME FROM STUDENTS, EDUCATIONALISTS AND OTHER SOCIAL GROUPS. EXAMINATION AUTHORITY SUBSEQUENTLY AGREED THAT A PASS IN CHINESE LANGUAGE SHOULD ALSO BE REQUIRED. THIS DECISION WAS REGARDED AS A MAJOR VICTORY BY THE ORGANISERS OF THE CAMPAIGN. WE EXPECT IMPROVEMENT IN THE STATUS OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE TO REMAIN AN ATTRACTIVE ISSUE FOR SOCIAL PRESSURE GROUPS SINCE IT CAN BE PURSUED WITHOUT INVOLVING POLITICAL ALLEGIANCES.
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/IMMIGRATION.
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IMMIGRATION.
10. DURING NOVEMBER, A TOTAL OF 9,946 CHINESE ENTERED HONG KONG
FROM CHINA LEGALLY (COMPARED WITH 8,485 IN OCTOBER AND 2,466 IN NOVEMBER 1977). THE DAILY AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH (EXCLUDING THOSE
WITH ONWARD VISAS) WAS 304, EIGHTEEN PERCENT ABOVE THE RECORD
LEVEL SET IN OCTOBER. IN NOVEMBER 2,263 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE ARRESTED, FIFTY THREE PERCENT ABOVE THE RECORD LEVEL SET IN OCTOBER: THE FIGURE IN NOVEMBER 1977 WAS 118. THE NUMBER OF ILLEGALS REPATRIATED IN NOVEMBER (2,019) WAS HIGHER THAN THE TOTAL REPATRIATION FIGURE FOR 1977 (1,779). AT PRESENT IT IS
LIKELY THAT THERE ARE ABOUT FOUR EVADERS FOR EVERY ILLEGAL
ARRESTED, THIS WOULD PUT THE PERMANENT ADDITION TO THE
POPULATION IN NOVEMBER THROUGH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
FROM CHINA AT ABOUT 17,000.
11. AT 2 DECEMBER 3,968 REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM WERE AWAITING RESETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE (EXCLUDING 242 TEMPORARILY TRANSFERRED
TO MACAU).
12. INCLUDED IN THE FIGURE OF 2,263 (PARA.10 ABOVE) ARE 277
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO ORIGINALLY WENT TO CHINA FROM VIETNAM (SOME ACROSS THE LAND BORDER) AND SUBSEQUENTLY REACHED HONG
KONG BY BOAT. THEY ARE UNDER DETENTION PENDING THE OUTCOME OF REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN PEKING TO HAVE THEM REPATRIATED TO CHINA.
FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING TO WELLINGTON
MACLEHOSE
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HK & GD (6)
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IFD
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MR MURRAY
MR CORTAZZI
[PASSED TO CABINET OFFICE]
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ALSO AT. 020, HAKERY, " 100/2
091/1
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FM HONG KONG 070956Z NOV 78
PRIORITY FCO
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اسد
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1289 OF 7 NOVEMBER INFO PEKING, CANBERRA AND SINGAPORE
INFO SAVING WELLINGTON
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PLEASE PASS TO CABINET OFFICE FOR SECRETARY JIC.
51
Action 1-kan
THE FOLLOWING IS THE LIC ASSESSMENT FOR OCTOBER 1978.
CHINESE COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES.
"
Pleuter sectom
Pela
spropriate
THE 44TH EXPORT COMMODITIES FAIR OPENED IN CANTON ON 15 OCTOBER.
ATTENDANCE FIGURES UP TO THE END OF THE MONTH SHOW THAT THERE HAS
BEEN A 26 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN TRAVELLERS ATTENDING THE FAIR (AND A 33 PERCENT INCREASE IN HONG KONG RESIDENTS) COMPARED WITH THE 1977 AUTUMN FAIR. THE OPENING WAS MARKED BY THE INAUGURATION (ON 12 OCTOBER) OF TWICE-DAILY CHARTER
FLIGHTS FROM CANTON BY CHINESE-OWNED TRIDENT AIRCRAFT (PARA 4 OF SEPTEMBER'S ASSESSMENT REFERS). THESE FLIGHTS WILL BECOME
THRICE DAILY FROM 8 TO 17 NOVEMBER.
2. SEVEN ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS BY THE KIU KWONG INVESTMENT CORPORATION, WHICH ACTS FOR ORGANISATIONS BASED IN CHINA,
HAVE BEEN NOTED THIS MONTH (SEE PARA 2 OF JULY'S ASSESSMENT). COMMUNIST BANKS HAVE OPENED NINE NEW BRANCHES SO FAR THIS YEAR (COMPARED WITH SIX IN 1977), MAKING A TOTAL OF 139 OUTLETS. REPORTS OF JOINT HONG KONG - CHINESE BUSINESS VENTURES IN CHINA CONTINUE TO FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN THE PRESS. MANY OF THESE REPORTS
ARE SPECULATIVE BUT SO FAR AT LEAST SEVEN REFLECT SERIOUS
DISCUSSIONS.
3. AN AGREEMENT FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF A REGULAR HOVERFERRY
SERVICE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CANTON ON 17 NOVEMBER WAS SIGNED IN
CANTON ON 12 OCTOBER BY THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE HONG KONG YAUMATE! FERRY COMPANY AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KWANGTUNG PROVINCIAL BUREAU OF MARITIME TRANSPORT IN CANTON. THIS IS PART
OF CHINA'S ATTEMPTS TO EXPAND TOURISM. CHINA TRAVEL SERVICE (HK) LIMITED ANNOUNCED PLANS ON 6 OCTOBER TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF PACKAGE TOURS TO CHINA BY OPENING EIGHT NEW ROUTES IN 1979 WHICH WILL BE
AVAILABLE ONLY FOR FOREIGN VISITORS,
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140 THE
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