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CONFIDENTIAL
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
14
August,
1981
布政司署
港下亞
畢道
* OUR Ref.:
SCR 6/2091/55
來函檔號 Your Ref.:
R D/Clift Esq
Clift
НКК 341 3
AUG 1981
Aili'd
T
Hong Kong & General Department ma
Fdo
Year ijeck,
ملل
LEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA
+
£83.91 1317
See (3
M
I think you should know that we are again taking a close look at the problem of legal immigration and particularly whether there is anything we can do to reduce numbers of permanent immigrants by returning those who are supposed to be visitors. This, of course, involves a whole series of inter-related problems such as whether we could establish an effective mechanism to achieve this; what Chinese reactions would be; and whether the end result might merely be an increase in the number of single journey permit holders to the present total number of 150 per day.
2.
We had a preliminary discussion in the Governor's Security Committee today based on the attached paper which I am enclosing both because it sets out the problem in skeleton form and because it has, as annexes, some useful statistics. We decided that the small group referred to in para 18 should now be set up with instructions to report back within two months. the planning for clamping down on illegal immigration last October, we will do our upmost to ensure that the establishment of such a group does not leak.
3.
As with
Meanwhile I will seek an opportunity to register with NCNA that we are still concerned both about the total number of legal immigrants and about the length of time allowed to a majority of those claiming to come here as visitors.
сс
(D C Wilson)
RJT McLaren Esq (FED) M W Atkinson Esq MBE (PEKING)
CONFIDENTIAL
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