GR
ONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 34/1 MANTORIOU
5.51
NEEK
FM HONG KONG 030305Z MAR 79
TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELNO.335 OF 3 MARCH,
See (37 38
INFO IMMEDIATE: PEKING,
36
1.
PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
MY TELNOS,279 AND 285 AND PEKING TELNO.270 :
LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA,
ALTHOUGH THE DAILY FIGURES ARE SLIGHTLY DOWN OVER THE LAST WEEK, THE DAILY AVERAGE FOR FEBRUARY OF 272 IS STILL FAR TOO HIGH.
2. MEANWHILE THE NCNA HAVE TOLD US OF NEW PROCEDURES THEY ARE CONSIDERING INTRODUCING TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF VISITORS'' TO HONG KONG. THEY WOULD GIVE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRAVEL PERMIT TO THOSE COMING HERE:
(A) SINGLE JOURNEY PERMITS FOR THOSE WITH GOOD REASONS TO
STAY PERMANENTLY IN HONG KONG, AND
(B) A NEW DOUBLE JOURNEY PERMIT FOR THOSE COMING ON VISITS. WITHOUT GIVING A PRECISE FIGURE THEY HAVE SAID THAT ONLY A ''COMPARATIVELY SMALL'' NUMBER OF SINGLE JOURNEY PERMITS WOULD BE ISSUED. THEY ALSO SAID THAT HONG KONG SHOULD NOT RESTRICT THE HOLDERS OF DOUBLE JOURNEY PERMITS, BUT COULD SEND BACK THOSE WHO OVERSTAYED THE LIMITS SPECIFIED IN THEIR PERMITS.
HOWEVER THE
3. WHILE THIS PROPOSAL SHOWS THAT THE CHINESE ARE FOCUSING IT
WITHOUT SPECIAL MEASURES DOES NOT GO ANYTHING LIKE FAR ENOUGH. THE NEW DOUBLE JOURNEY PERMITS WOULD DIFFER IN LITTLE MORE THAN NAME FROM THE EXISTING FORM OF TRAVEL DOCUMENT,
I ALSO THINK PROPOSALS DO OFFER A BASIS ON WHICH WE CAN BUILD. THAT IN DOING SO WE MUST STATE IN TERMS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE CHINESE DO NOT BRING DOWN THE FLOW WITHIN A DEFINED TIME LIMIT.
4。
! THEREFORE PROPOSE THAT WE SHOULD SPEAK AS FOLLOWS:-
(A)
OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS..FIRST THREE SENTENCES OF PARA.4 OF PEKING TELNO.279...CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
CONFIDENTIAL
/(B) WE