GR 470
CONFIDENTIAL
256
1979
CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG 041850Z JAN
TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NUMBER 30 OF 4 JANUARY, 1980
TOP COPY
AKK 341/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
INFO PRIORITY PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT. OFELGA 980N.
MY TELNO 9: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA:
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
Мо / Дибр
REGISTRY
Action, Taken
AW
1. AS YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM MY TUR, THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN DECEMBER (OVER 15,000) WAS HIGHER THAN FOR ANY OTHER MONTH LAST YEAR, LEGAL IMMIGRATION ALSO REMAINED HIGH WITH THE TOTAL OF NEARLY 5,000 BEING SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE
MONTH BEFORE.
see©
2. FOR THE WHOLE YEAR THE HUGE FIGURE OF NEARLY 90,000 ILLEGALS
REPATRIATED IS SUFFICIENT COMMENTARY, WITH AN ESTIMATED 115,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO EVADED ARREST AND SOME 70,000 LEGAL ARRIVALS, OUR POPULATION INCCREASED LAST YEAR BY ABOUT 185,000 FROM IMMIGRATION ALONE, DESPITE REPEATED REPRESENTATIONS TO THE CHINESE
THIS WAS DOUBLE THE FIGURE FOR 1973, WHICH ITSELF PRODUCED THE HIGHEST YEARLY TOTAL SINCE 1962.
3. AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE HIGH NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN DECEMBER WAS THE WIDESPREAD BELIEF IN GUANGDONG THAT HARSHER PENALTIES WOULD BE INTRODUCED ON 1 JANUARY. NEW REGULATIONS HAVE INDEED BEEN ANNOUNCED AND WERE APPROVED BY THE GUANGDONG PROVINCIAL CONGRESS ON 26 DECEMBER. WE STILL HAVE NO MORE DETAILS THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN MY TELNO 1725. NOR CAN WE BE CERTAIN IF THE NEW REGULATIONS ARE ACTUALLY IN FORCE. NONA TOLD US THAT THE REGULATIONS WOULD BE PASSED TO THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT FOR IMPLEMENTATION: THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN BUT SAY THEY THINK IT WAS TO BE THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY.
4
4. SINCE 1 JANUARY THE DAILY ARREST RATE OF ILLEGALS HAS DROPPED FROM AN AVERAGE OF OVER 536 IN LATE DECEMBER TO AN AVERAGE OF 12%. TODAY THE FIGURE WAS ONLY 43. WE CANNOT YET TELL WHETHER THE DROP IN NUMBERS IS THE RESULT OF THE NEW CHINESE MEASURES BEING IMPLEMENTED OR CF POTENTIAL ILLEGALS WAITING TO SEE WHICH WAY THEY WIND BLOWS. IF THE NEW CHINESE MEASURES ARE NOT IMPLEMENTED EFFECTIVELY, WE MUST EXPECT NUMBERS TO RIS AGAIN AS POTENTIAL ENIGRANTS FUT THEM TO THE TEST.
CONFIDENTIAL
/ 5. POLITICAL