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in the world. It results from both a long historical
tradition, the buoyancy of our economy and the willingness
of our people to welcome their compatriots. It has been
possible to sustain this policy in the past because, after
the early 50s, high levels of influx have been comparatively
short-lived and thus absorbable. The present case is
different. We are now entering the third year of the
phenomenon.
It is as objectionable to the Chinese
as it is to us, and they, like us, are making every effort
to stop it. Far from being welcomed by our people, the
illegal immigrants are now more and more resented as they
are seen to be eroding the improvement in standards that
the people of Hong Kong have worked so hard to achieve.
I described all this in detail to you in my address
on 1st October the effect on our prospects over housing,
medical provision, education, social welfare, and public
security, and its implications for further economic
development. There is also the constant diversion of police
from combatting crime, which is what really matters, to
combatting illegal immigration, and crime committed by
illegal immigrants is on the increase and out of all
proportion to their numbers. Short-time working in some
industries, and some rise in unemployment, fear of recession,
have all given an added thrust to the general demand for new
action by the Government to halt this flow a demand of
which I have been increasingly conscious for some months.
Wh:
then have we not acted before?