Hong Kong with being the Master of a passenger ship having on board
passengers in excess of the number allowed, he faces a four-year
jail sentence and a large fine if convicted under new Hong Kong
legislation intended to deter trafficking in refugees. There is
strong evidence to suggest that the passengers on the HUEY FONG
were not, as they claimed, genuine small boat refugees who had been
picked up at sea, but paying passengers whose departure from Vietnam
had been pre-arranged with the connivance of the Vietnamese
authorities.
Immigration into Hong Kong from China
12. Hong Kong already faces a much greater problem caused by legal
immigrants from China. Hong Kong traditionally accepts anyone to
whom the Chinese Government are prepared to give an exit permit.
But, because of the very crowded conditions in Hong Kong, it is
difficult for them to absorb immigrants at a rate of much more than
50 a day. In the early 1970s, when the numbers of immigrants from
China started to rise sharply, an informal agreement was reached
with the Chinese authorities to limit the numbers of exit permits
to about the 50-a-day level. In 1978, probably as a consequence of
greater freedom of movement in China, the rate of arrivals again
rose, reaching over 300 a day by the end of the year. During the
year more than 70,000 legal immigrants arrived from China. We have
made repeated representations about this to the Chinese authorities,
emphasising in particular the strain that is placed on Hong Kong's
social services. We believe that they understand the problem, and
are making efforts to control the numbers. During January, the
figure fell to about 200 a day, but even at this leval the rate of
arrivals poses a serious problem for Hong Kong.
/13. There