Fikk 341/1
GR 200
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDE
FM PEKING 230821Z JUN 30
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 412 OF 23 JUNE 20
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
IMMIGRATION
WYLD IN KEP SORY NO. 51
2 3 JUN 1980
CSK OFFICES
1. WHEN I SAW ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER SONG ON 21 JUNE I MENTIONED YOUR AND HONG KONG'S CONTINUED CONCERN AT THE UNACCEPTABLY HIGH LEVELS OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND REPEATED THAT NUMBERS SHOULD BE BROUGHT DOWN TO AROUND 50 PER DAY. I ALSO REFERRED TO OUR REQUEST THAT PERMITS FOR VISITS SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR REASONABLY SHORT PERIODS. SONG ASSURED ME THAT THIS LATTER POINT WAS BEING LOOKED INTO.
2. ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, I FOLLOWED MR BLAKER'S LINE IN PARA 1 OF YOUR TELNO 340. SONG AGREED THAT INCREASED COOPERATION WAS CALLED FOR. THE GUANGDONG AUTHORITIES WOULD BE PLEASED TO DISCUSS ANY SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS WITH HONG KONG. ONE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE PRESENT HONG KONG POLICY OF NO LONGER TREATING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS SUCH ONCE THEY HAD REACHED THE URBAN AREAS WAS ENCOURAGING FURTHER ESCAPE ATTEMPTS. IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO CHANGE THIS POLICY.
3. I SAID THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAD GIVEN THE QUESTION OF CHANGING THE POLICY A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT. THE DIFFICULTY HAD ALWAYS BEEN THAT GIVEN THE NATURE OF HONG KONG SOCIETY IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE LAW, WHERE THEY WOULD BE PREY TO EXPLOITATION BY CRIMINAL ELEMENTS.
We
CRADOCK
FILES
FED
HR-ea
TAEO
Раба
оэ
NEWSI
S
PS) YA ALAICEK
a
Ps/pas Me DONALD
2
CONFIDENTIAL