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Seenet Draft
HONG KONG
CIVIL AFFAIRS POLICY DIRECTIVES
54132
Second
/4/44.
IMMIGRATION CONTROL
1. The traditional policy of Hong Kong has always been to
encourage the free influx of Chinese, and for many years the barometer of prosperity was felt to be the number of full and empty tenements
in the Colony. The chief inducements were law and order, sanctity of contracts, better (if rather more expensive) social services and
the asylum for political refugees ensured by the terms of the
extradition treaties.
2.
Apart from this there was a very large daily traffic of
shoppers from a considerable area of South China, particularly in the form of "travelling traders", who each executed commissions (including to some extent banking and foreign exchange transactions) on behalf of
the inhabitants of a village or a district. materially to the Colony's prosperity.
3.
This contributed
As the Colony has no natural resources whatever (unless a fine harbour can be so included) it must chiefly depend, as in the
It will be the object, as soon as past, on its asset of goodwill. circumstances permit, to restore that free access on which the Japanese during their occupation have put drastic restrictions.
5.
Although the long-term objective of unfettered ingress and egress must be kept in view, the provision of relief supplies in the Colony may be expected on first re-occupation to attract a very large influx of Chinese; and it will be necessary to aim at the restriction of this influx to those who are needed for the genuine
for restoration of trade and industry, and the prosecution of the war
effort.
A
6. At the earliest stage the land frontier should be picketed and passage allowed at only one point, where a staff will be required to examine the documentary evidence of genuine Hong Kong residence
As soon as river-boats start produced by each intending immigrant.
running a similar investigation service should be provided at arrival wharves, and legal steps to force shipmasters to take rejects
with