CON 345/1
RJT McLaren Esq Hong Kong
CONFIDENTIAL
M. Nesta M6. Publiques
BRITISH EMBASSY
JAKARTA
2 June 1982
HB
816 wp
cc HKG D
HKGD
Dear thelawn,
HANDLING OF HONG KONG VISA MATTERS
1. Michael Morgan asked for the comments of other ASEAN posts in his letter to you of 2 April putting forward the suggestion that Hong Kong visa work might be handled by staff seconded from Hong Kong.
2. We, like Kuala Lumpur, conclude that the status quo is the best solution. The position of the Chinese community in Indonesia is delicate and there are many undercurrents at work. It seems all too likely that pressures would be brought to bear by members of the local Chinese community on any Hong Kong citizen responsible for issuing visas here. He would be in a difficult position and this would not be good for the Embassy as a whole. Organisationally, we have an integrated Consular Section and I do not see a Hong Kong Chinese fitting into it all that easily. Were he to work from a separate office, political pressures would be all the greater.
3. We issued 14,554 Hong Kong visas last year, amounting to a total revenue of Rps 75,680,800 (about £65,000). The system works reasonably smoothly, though there are pressures during the holiday period. Anyone who complains about rejection of a visa is told to contact the Hong Kong Immigration Department directly if they wish. We do not regard odium for refusals as a serious problem. And such odium as there is would probably wash off on the Embassy whether the visa officer concerned was a Hong Kong citizen or not. So we prefer to remain as we
are.
сс
Mr HAJ Staples CMG Bangkok
Your ever,
Bro Brank
R Brash
Mr MH Morgan CMG Manila
Mr
SEAD
KFX Burns FCO
Mr W Bentley CMG Kuala Lumpur
Mr D A Macleod Singapore
Mr DW Partridge MVD
FCO
CONFIDENTIAL