I
4.
I see from para 4 of your telno 926 that Zheng mentioned complaints about members of some tourist groups from the US being 'turned back at the border' despite having visas for return to the US.
These are almost certainly people travelling on documents of identity with US re-entry visas (since tourists on US passports do not require visas for Hong Kong) who have arrived at Hung Hom on the through train. Such people are excluded from the agreement on who can use the through train, and rightly so since they do require visas for Hong Kong. I can see, nevertheless, that there could be a problem with mixed tourist groups, some travelling on US passports, when the organizers wish to use the through train. The simplest ansver would be to ensure that stateless people with re-entry visas (for whatever country) obtained transit visas for Hong Kong before leaving for China. However, there could be difficultƒes in this since our present rules require such people to have a sponsor here other than a travel organizer, I am consulting Immigration Departmentyand shall let you know if we can come up with a reasonable solution. Meanwhile, if Zheng refers to the problem please remind him that people not travelling on national passports are excluded from the agreement on the through train.
5.
There was a reference to the small number of 'pink' exi@t permit holders in para 2 of your telno 925 to FCO of 19 October which I did not entirely follow. The 'citizens exit permit', as opposed to the 'green' document for travel to and from Hong Kong and Macau, is generally issued to returned overseas Chinese leaving either for Hong Kong or for a declared country (Singapore, Indonesia) with which China does not have diplomatic relations generally without an onvard visa. 'Pink' permits are, however, not only for single journeys; as with the green ones the great majority are valid for return to China and are therefore included in the monthly figures we send you of travellers on return permits, i.e. the supposed visitor to Hong Kong.
ce R C Fursland Esq
FED, FCO
PJ Williamson Esq HK&GD, FCO
(I Corr)