ourselves.
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An additional quota of 100 a month would
put us in a much better position internationally,
and would also demonstrate to the people of Hong Kong
that the British Government was taking its
responsibilities towards them seriously.
b) Immigration into Hong Kong from China
Immigration from China is currently running at the
highest level for very many years. Depending on the
rate for the rest of the year, the total for 1979
could be anywhere between 200,000 and 400,000.
Illegal immigration is a particularly serious problem
and the Chinese, despite promises, have so far made
no serious effort to control it.
c) Reinforcement of the garrison
The task of patrolling the border areas and the
outlying islands against illegal immigrants has
extended the garrison to its limits. The Governor
and the Commander, British Forces, have asked for
{
urgent reinforcements to limit the numbers of
illegal immigrants and to shock the Chinese into
taking action themselves.
This request is being
urgently considered by the Ministry of Defence.
Lord Carrington believes that there are strong
political arguments for providing timely
reinforcements.
d) (If there is time) New Territories Leases
The Governor may mention the problem of maintaining
confidence in Hong Kong as 1997 approaches. The
bulk of the Colony's territory (known as the New
Territories) is leased from China under an agreement
/which
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