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HKB 345
J Smith-Laittan Esq
RECEIVED IN CEL
MVD
26 APR 1990
FCO
INDF
BRITISH EMBASSY
LA PAZ
20 February 1990
Dear Smith-hailta.
VISAS FOR HONG KONG
1.
The flow of holders of PRC passports calling at this Embassy for transit visas to Hong Kong continues to rise.
2.
As reported previously, this problem is putting increased pressure on our combined Consular/Administration Section which consists of one DS9 and one LE II.
3. At the time of the last FCO Inspection in February 1988, our visa section statistics showed that 135 entry clearances were issued in 1987. In 1988 this rose to 343 issues and the 1989 figure was 863, of which some 725 were for Hong Kong
(see attached statistics).
4. As we only have one part-time Entry Clearance Officer at this Post (the DS9), examination of applications from Chinese wishing to transit Hong Kong is limited by time to a check of the visa warning list and a quick look at the passport. Despite this outwardly simple checking system the increased volume of paperwork (since we were last inspected) seriously strains our staff resources.
5. We have noted that all the Chinese who call here are newly arrived in Bolivia, and without exception they all have obtained Bolivian permanent residence permits within a few days of landing in Bolivia. This is not only odd, but the speed with which they obtain their permits can only mean that money is changing hands. They then immediately visit this Embassy and apply for transit visas to Hong Kong.
6. We have been considering ways of dealing with the work- load problem locally. One solution would be to introduce a requirement that all PRC passport holders who hold Bolivian permanent residence should prove that they have actually
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