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CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
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COPY
FM HONG KONG 250201Z NOV 81
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1055 OF 25 NOVEMBER
MKK
341/1
FLIRIVID LENGSTRY NO. 21
30 NOV 1981
110
No
५८
4/12 PGO 2/12
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BY CHILDREN FROM CHINA
SINCE MID OCTOBER A NEW TWIST IN THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SAGA HAS OCCURRED. IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING THE ENDING OF THE REACHED BASE POLICY IN OCTOBER 1980, SMALL NUMBERS OF CHILDREN FROM CHINA WERE BROUGHT IN ILLEGALLY AND SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED UP ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR PARENTS OR OTHERS AT IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO HAVE THEIR STAY REGULARISED. BECAUSE THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 30 SUCH CASES A MONTH, PERMISSION TO REMAIN WAS GRANTED ON HUMAN-
ITARIAN GROUNDS.
2. HOWEVER IN MID OCTOBER, POSSIBLY AS A RESULT OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, FAR LARGER NUMBERS BEGAN TO APPEAR FOR REGISTRATION. IN OCTOBER THERE WERE 662 AND THE FIRST 23 DAYS OF NOVEMBER PRODUCED 545. IN MOST CASES THE PARENTS ARE THEMSELVES FORMER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO LEFT THEIR CHILDREN BEHIND IN 1979 OR 1980, SLIPPED INTO HONG KONG UNDETECTED, REACHED BASE AND WERE ALLOWED TO STAY. IT IS PROBABLE THAT MANY THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ARE
SIMILARLY PLACED.
BLOCK THE POINTS OF ENTRY
HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN BY 10,000 DOLLARS PER CHILD. CHILDREN IS NOT EASY SINCE NO
3. THE POLICE HAVE TAKEN ACTION TO USED BY THE CHILDREN, MANY OF WHOM TRAFFICKERS AT A CHARGE OF 5,000 - HOWEVER THE IDENTIFICATION OF SUCH CHILD UNDER 11 YEARS OF AGE HAS AN IDENTITY CARD AND CHILDREN UNDER 15 YEARS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CARRY CARDS. THE CO-OPERATION OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES IN HALTING THIS TRAFFIC HAS BEEN SOUGHT BOTH THROUGH BORDER LIAISON AND NONA. THE CHINESE HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO DO WHAT THEY CAN.
4. ABOUT 70% OF THE CHILDREN APPEAR TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PARENT HERE AND, FOR HUMANITARIAN AND PRESENTATIONAL REASONS, WE DO NOT CONTEMPLATE SEPARATING THEM AGAIN, BUT THESE CONSIDERATIONS NEED NOT IN OUR VIEW INHIBIT US IN PREVENTING CHILDREN JOINING THEIR PARENTS IN THE FIRST PLACE BY INTERCEPTING THE CHILDREN ON FIRST ARRIVAL AND SENDING THEM VIRTUALLY STRAIGHT BACK (AS IS DONE WITH ADULT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT ON FIRST ARRIVAL), WE ALSO INTEND TO SELECT AND RETURN LESS DESERVING CASES FROM AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE EVADED INTERCEPTION. SUCH CHILDREN WOULD BE THOSE RECENTLY
ARRIVED WITH NO PARENTS HERE OR WITH THE MOTHER STILL IN CHINA. THE OBJECT OF THESE MEASURES WOULD BE TO DETER FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO BRING MORE CHILDREN IN ILLEGALLY. THE PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RETURN OF THE CHILDREN WOULD OF COURSE HAVE FULL REGARD FOR
THEIR TENDER YEARS.
CONFIDENTIAL
15.
See
11/3
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