J
GR 245
CONFIDENTIAL,
HKK 341
ANY
RECEIVED IN TRY NO. 51
CONFIDENTIAL
JAN1880
FM HONG KONG 071110Z JAN
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
Action Takan
TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 42 OF 7 JANUARY, 1982
14
INFO PRIRORITY PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.
4
MY TELNO 30: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
1. POLITICAL ADVISER TODAY SAW LI JUSHENG, SECOND DIRECTOR OF THE NONA, AND SPOKE ON THE LINES OF PARA 5 OF MY TUR.
дек
io
2. ON ILLEGALS, LI SAID THAT THE NEW REGULATIONS HAD BEEN PUT
INTO EFFECT ON 1 JANUARY. HE HOPED THAT THE DROP IN NUMBERS WHICH
HAD BEEN APPARENT SINCE THEN WOULD CONTINUE. HE EMPHASISED, HOWEVER,
THAT THERE WERE MANY SNAKEHEAD OPERATIONS AND THAT IT WOULD BE
IMPOSSIBLE TO STAMP OUT ILLEGAL EMIGRATION UNTIL THESE PEOPLE
HAD BEEN DEALT WITH. IN SOME CASES THE SNAKEHEADS HAD CONNECTIONS
WITH JUNIOR OFFICIALS IN CHINA.
3. ON LEGALS, LI SAID THAT GREAT EFFORTS HAD BEEN MADE TO DEAL
WITH THE PROBLEM. THE NUMBER OF PERMITS BEING ISSUED TO COME
TO HONG KONG HAD BEEN REDUCED. HE WAS EVASIVE, HOWEVER, ABOUT
WHEN AND HOW THIS REDUCTION MIGHT BECOME APPARENT IN THE
FIGURES OF THOSE CROSSING THE BORDER. IN RESPONSE TO A COMMENT
BY THE P.A. ABOUT FAMILY GROUPS BEING GIVEN PERMITS FOR AN
AVERAGE OF NINE MONTHS ALLEGEDLY FOR VISITS, LI SAID THIS
WOULD BE LOOKED AT FURTHER. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MANY OF
THOSE CLAIMING TO COME ON VISITS WERE CHEATING BOTH THE
CHINESE AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS AND THAT MANY CHINESE OFFICIALS
MUST BE AWARE OF THIS DECEPTION.
4. ON PUNISHMENT, LI SAID THAT HE FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE HONG KONG POINT OF VIEW. THE CHINESE POLICY WAS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF ''ESCAPING BY IMPROVING ECONOMIC STANDARDS AND EDUCATION.
HARSH PUNISHMENTS ONLY OCCURED FOR ISOLATED CASES WHEN E.G.
WEAPONS WERE USED AGAINST THE SECURITY FORCES.
CATER
FILE S:
H K & G D
FED
FUSD
PS/MR BLAKER MR CORTAZZI MR MURRAY
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE
LONDON
OID
NEWB D
CONFIDENTIAL