GPS 200
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK3+
RECEIVED A NE
15 JAN TORO
KO HCTR
to Rewind
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 140925Z JAN 80
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 82 OF 14 JANUARY
AND TO PEKING
INFO HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON
MYTELNO 42: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
See (18)
27
THE DROP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH IN NUMBERS OF ILLEGALS ARRESTED HAS DISAPPOINTINGLY BEEN REVERSED. THE DAILY 24 HOUR FIGURES FOR THE LAST 3 DAYS OF DECEMBER (SEE MY TELNO 1805 OF 28 DECEMBER) WERE: 389 398 340. FOR THE FIRST 14 DAYS OF JANUARY THE CORRESPONDING FIGURES HAVE BEEN : 292 211 106 43 51
31 30 100 105 77 127 168 146 129.
TOBE
2. THE EFFECT OF THE NEW CHINESE MEASURES ONLY STARTED CLEAR FROM 3 JANUARY. HOWEVER, A COMPARISON OF THE 6 DAY PERIODS FROM 3 TO 8 AND 9 TO 14 JANUARY SHOWS THAT THE INITIAL IMPROVEMENT WAS SHORT-LIVED. IN THE FIRST PERIOD TOTAL ARRESTS WERE 361 WITH A DAILY AVERAGE ON THE LAND BORDER OF 20. IN THE LATTER PERIOD TOTAL ARRESTS WERE UP BY 108 PER CENT TO 752 WITH ARRESTS ON THE LAND BORDER GOING UP BY 126 PER CENT TO A
DAILY AVERAGE OF 46.
3. THE REASONS FOR THIS RESURGENCY ARE NOT YET CLEAR. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT FROM 8 JANUARY SOME NEW TROOPS, WHO MAY HAVE BEEN REPLACEMENTS, WERE DEPLOYED BY THE CHINESE ANDTHEIR UNFAMILIARITY MAY HAVE CAUSED A LOWER RATE OF ARREST ON THE CHINESE SIDE. DESPITE REQUESTS, THE NCNA HAVE NOT YET PROVIDED US WITH ANY FIGURES
WHICH WOULD HELP TO CLARIFY THIS. ANOTHER FACTOR COULD BE THAT SINCE THE NEW CHINESE MEASURES ARE LARGELY CONCERNED WITH LONGER PENALTIES UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE FOR THOSE LEAVING OR HELPING OTHERS TO LEAVE ILLEGALLY, IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE CASES ARE BROUGHT BEFORE COURTS IN CHINA AND PUBLICITY GIVEN
TO THE SENTENCES PASSED.
CONFIDENTIAL
4. WE HAVE