CONFIDENTIAL
132477 MDLIAN 3738
HKD. 345/384
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1668
OF 191135Z JUNE 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
27 JUL 199
Pa
. По
'Mr Moms' section.
Ч て
FOLLOWING FROM POLITICAL ADVISER'S OFFICE.
LILLIE'S PEKING TELELETTER TO BROOKS, RAD OF 12 JUNE: CHINA INTERNAL: RETURNING STUDENTS.
1. YOU MAY BE INTERESTED TO KNOW OF A CURIOUS DEVELOPMENT LAST WEEK WHICH THROWS AN INTERESTING LIGHT ON THE DECLARED CHINESE WELCOME TO RETURNING STUDENTS. IF, IT CONTINUES UNCHECKED IT COULD ALSO BE THE START OF A FAIRLY SERIOUS PROBLEM.
2. AT JUST BEFORE 10 PM ON THE EVENING OF 7 JUNE, THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT BORDER LIAISON OFFICE RECEIVED A CALL ON THE HOT LINE FROM SOMEONE IDENTIFYING HIMSELF AS MR. LAM IN THE SHENZHEN FRONTIER DEVELOPMENT UNIT. AMID A CONVERSATION ON OPERATIONAL MATTERS, THE CALLER SUDDENLY SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN A DIRECTIVE SAYING THAT STUDENTS RETURNING FROM ABROAD WOULD NOT BE RE-ADMITTED TO CHINA WITHOUT A LETTER OF APPROVAL OBTAINED FROM NCNA, EVEN IF THEY HELD VALID CHINESE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.
3. OUR BORDER LIAISON OFFICE SOUGHT TO CONFIRM THIS STORY THE NEXT DAY WITH A REGULAR CONTACT. ALTHOUGH THE CHINESE CONFIRMED THAT MR. LAM WAS A MEMBER OF THE OFFICE, THEY COULD NOT CONFIRM THE STORY ABOUT THE NEW DIRECTIVE. HOWEVER, WE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY HAD EIGHT CASES OF CHINESE PERSONS BEARING VALID TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, ALL OF WHOM ARE TEMPORARILY RESIDENT CAND WORKING) IN HONG KONG, WHO HAVE BEEN REFUSED ENTRY AT THE BORDER AND TOLD TO OBTAIN LETTERS FROM NCNA. ALL OF THESE CASES WOULD FIT INTO THE CATEGORY OF CHINESE CITIZENS CARRYING ORDINARY PASSPORTS WHO HAVE BEEN MORE THAN TWO YEARS AWAY FROM CHINA (WHOM WE NOW ALLOW TO COME TO HONG KONG TO WORK, FOLLOWING A SPECIFIC REQUEST BY LU PING). MOSTLY THEY ARE ENGAGED IN BUSINESS. SOME HAVE PREVIOUSLY TRAVELLED FREQUENTLY IN AND OUT OF CHINA. THAT THEY ARE BEING REFUSED ENTRY NOW CLEARLY SUGGESTS SOME FORM OF NEW DIRECTIVE POST-DATING THE DAI QING AFFAIR.
4.
WE HAVE ASKED NCNA ABOUT THIS BUT THEY HAVE YET TO GIVE A COHERENT ANSWER. EITHER THEY ARE CONFUSED (POSSIBLY BECAUSE THE
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