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CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
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RECEIVED BE REDISTRY NO. 51
2 NOV 1979
•ISK OFFICER
INDEX
TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1546 OF 2 NOVEMBER, 1979 INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING AND INFO PRIORITY HONG NG
OFFICE LONDON.
MY TELNO 1535: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
RECISTRY
MONG GOVERNMENT
iaken
223,1. THERE WAS A FURTHER SLIGHT DECREASE IN ILLEGAL ARRESTS YESTERDAY.
NEVERTHELESS NUMBERS REMAIN VERY HIGH. TOTAL ARRESTS IN THE 24-
HOUR PERIOD TO 2600 TODAY WERE 393. THE VAST MAJORITY CAME BY SEA
FROM THE EAST.
2. NCNA TOLD US LAST NIGHT THAT AN ADDITIONAL REGIMENT HAD BEEN DEPLOYED ON ANTI-ILLEGAL WORK. AS YET, HOWEVER, WE HAVE NO HARD EVIDENCE THAT CHINESE PREVENTIVE MEASURES HAVE BEEN IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY. UNTIL WE DO, IT WOULD BE UNWISE TO SAY TO THE CHINESE ANYTHING OTHER THAT THAT THE SITUATION REMAINS EXTREMELY
SERIOUS.
3. TOTAL ARRESTS FOR OCTOBER WERE 11,600. THIS IS ALMOST THE SAME AS FOR JUNE, THE SECOND WORST MONTH FOR MANY YEARS. WE ESTIMATE THAT AT LEAST 16,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET
LAST MONTH.
4. THE LEGAL IMMIGRATION PICUTRE REMAINS VIRTUALLY AS BEFORE. JUST UNDER 4,800 LEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT ONWARD DOCUMENTATION ARRIVED IN OCTOBER (A DAILY AVERAGE OF 155). THIS IS A SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT ON SEPTEMBER (5,000) BUT STILL FAR TOO HIGH.
5. FOR MORE DETAILED FIGURES SEE MY TELNO 1544.
MACLEHOSE
FILES HK & GD (4)
FED
PUSD OID
NEWS D
PS/MR BLAKER
MR CORTAZZI MR MURRAY
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE 6,GRAFTON ST W 1
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