GRS 430
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
28
FM HONG KONG 250800Z JAN 80
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
AKK 341/1 RACEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 28 JAN1980
See
29
31
TELEGRAM NUMBER 151 OF 25 JANUARY
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
W.P. FILE
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING ROUTINE HONEDEONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
MY TELNO 136: RETURN OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT.
1.
AW 41
AND SEVERAL OF HIS ASSOCIATES WERE DETAINED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THERE WAS LIKELY
TO BE A STRONG CASE FOR RETURNING
LIKE AN
2. POLITICAL ADVISER THIS MORNING SPOKE TO THE NCNA. HE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH ORDINARY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED ON ARRIVAL. HAD THE NCNA BEEN ABLE TO TELL US EARLIER IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO DO THIS. AS IT WAS,
HAD REGISTERED FOR AN IDENTITY CARD AND HAD BEEN LANDED'' IN HONG KONG. HE EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS ALSO NOT POSSIBLE IN THIS CASE TO USE THE CHINESE EXTRADITION ORDINANCE
SINCE THE OFFENCES
WAS SAID TO HAVE COMMITTED WERE NOT
COVERED BY IT.
3. POLITICAL ADVISER THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT BOTH SIDES HAD AN INTEREST IN STAMPING OUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TO HONG KONG.
WE HAD DETAINED
AND A NUMBER OF HIS ASSOCIATES IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH WHETHER HE HAD BEEN ORGANISING SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TO COME HERE ILLEGALLY. IF THIS COULD BE ESTABLISHED TO OUR SATISFACTION, IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN A REMOVAL ORDER ON THE GROUNDS THAT
WAS AN UNDESIRABLE
IMMIGRANT''. THERE WERE, HOWEVER, THREE POSSIBLE DIFFICULTIES: THE FIRST WAS THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO FIND SUFFICIENT
EVIDENCE TO ESTABLISH THAT
ACTIONS HAD BEEN DAMAGING TO
HONG KONG AND THAT HE WAS AN UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANT': THE SECOND WAS A POSSIBLE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS: AND THE THIRD WAS THE FOSSIBILITY OF AN APPEAL AGAINST THE REMOVAL ORDER,
IF MADE.
CONFIDENTIAL
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