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MDHIAN 1137
HE CALLED ON HKG TO TAKE ACTIVE MEASURES: WE COULD NOT SHOOT THESE IIS OR SEND THEM ON TO TAIWAN OR JAPAN.
7.
WANG, EMBARRASSED, SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THE MFA SPOKESMAN HAD CALLED FOR HKG TO TAKE ACTIVE MEASURES. BUT HE COULD TELL US AS FRIENDS THAT THE PUBLIC SECURITY AUTHORITIES HAD JUST SENT A TELEGRAM TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN GUANGXI TELLING THEM TO TAKE EFFECTIVE MEASURES. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TOOK SUCH MATTERS SERIOUSLY, AS WITNESSED BY THE RECENT CASES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TO THE U.S. FROM FUJIAN. WANG SAID HE WOULD CONVEY THE WISHES AND REQUESTS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS:
MR LENNOX-BOYD'S REPRESENTATIONS AND OURS TODAY MIGHT HELP.
8.
WE AGAIN EXPRESSED APPRECIATION BUT EMPHASISED THAT WE HAD MADE A SPECIFIC AND PRACTICAL PROPOSAL AND WISHED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO RESPOND POSITIVELY. IN THE FUJIAN CASES SOME ACTION HAD BEEN TAKEN, AND EVERYONE KNEW THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE BEING RETURNED PROMPTLY TO CHINA. BUT ECVIIS HAD PREVIOUSLY SPENT MANY MONTHS IN HONG KONG, AND A GUANGXI OFFICIAL HAD BEEN QUOTED BY THE HONG KONG PRESS AS SAYING THAT THE PRESENT BATCH WOULD STAY THERE MANY MONTHS TOO. WE NEEDED TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT QUICKLY THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THE RECENT ARRIVALS WERE BEING RETURNED IMMEDIATELY: IN MOST IF NOT ALL CASES THERE COULD BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THEIR PROVENANCE.
9.
WANG SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH MATTERS WERE PERHAPS NOT QUITE AS SIMPLE AS WE SAID, HE UNDERSTOOD OUR POINTS. HE COULD MAKE NO COMMITMENTS BUT WOULD IMMEDIATELY REPORT OUR REPRESENTATIONS.
MCLEAN
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
114
.VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS IN HK
SEAD
LEGAL ADVISERS
PUSD
INFO D
ECD (E)
DISTRIBUTION
121
PS
PS/BARONESS CHALKER
PS/MR GOODLAD
PS/MR HOGG
PS/PUS
SIR J COLES
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