GRS 455
CONFIDENTIAL
175
CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG 160320Z DEC 78
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1446 OF 16 DECEMBER 1978
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
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HOK 341/15
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in Ten
AN;am
RE
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON AN
173
PEKING TELNO 912 TO FCO : IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
FOLLOWING A TELEPHONE MESSAGE FROM PEKING THAT THE VICE-MINISTER WOULD SEE THE AMBASSADOR AT 1800 (LOCAL) ON 15 DECEMBER, POLITICAL ADVISER SPOKE LAST NIGHT TO THE SECOND DIRECTOR OF
NONA, LI CHU-SHENG.
2. FOLITICAL ADVISER SAID THAT WE HAD FIRST EXPRESSED OUR CONCERN
ABOUT THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE CROSSING THE BORDER IN JANUARY. WE HAD ORIGINALLY HOPED THAT THE MATTER COULD BE DEALT WITH LOCALLY: BUT THIS HAD NOT PROVED POSSIBLE. THE SUBJECT HAD
SINCE BEEN RAISED MANY TIMES, CULMINATING IN WHAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAD SAID TO HUANG HUA IN OCTOBER. DESPITE A SERIES OF REPRESENTATIONS THE NUMBERS HAD CONTINUED TO RISE AT AN ALARMING RATE. HE HAVE THE FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER, AND FOR DECEMBER TO DATE, EMPHASISING THE CONTINUING PROBLEM OF THOS (PARTICULARLY FROM FUKIEN PROVINCE) WITH CPG PASSPORTS WHO CLAIMED TO BE GOING TO
THE PHILIPPINES. HE THEN SPOKE AS IN PARA 6 OF MY TELNO 1387 MODIFIED BY PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 795 TO PEKING.
3. LI LISTENED CAREFULLY TO WHAT WAS SAID. HE SAID THAT THEY WERE
ALREADY PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM. WE COULD BE ASSURED THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO. FOLLOWING THE PA'S REPRESENTATIC ON 1 NOVEMBER (MY TELNO 1256), THEY HAD ALREADY TAKEN ACTION WITH THE FUKIEN AUTHORITIES ABOUT THOSE CLAIMING TO GO TO THE PHILIPPINES. THEIR INFORMATION WAS THAT THE NUMBER OF SUCH PEOPLE
REACHING THE BORDER HAD ALREADY DROPPED (PA SAID THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOR THIS SO FAR IN THE FIGURES, BUT HE HOPED IT
WAS TRUE AND THAT IT WOULD BECOME EVIDENT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS). LI SAID THAT THEY HAD ALSO REDUCED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING ON
SINGLE JOURNEY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. THEY BELIEVED THAT A LARGER NUMBER THAN OUR FIGURES SUGGESTED OF THOSE ON 2-WAY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS RETURNED TO CHINA.
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