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internees themselves.
The present position is that essential services and the like cause some 210 persons (including dependants) to remain in the Colony, while some 130 other persons remain temporarily to look after their own businesses or because they dare not face the English winter. Approximately 120 persons who might be eligible for re- patriation have elected to remain permanently
There are others who simply disappeared when the camps were opened and who, despite advertisements, have not registered their intentions.
5. Excluding Indians, the foregoing figures account for 2,563 re- patriated, while 340 await repatriation and 120 reject it: a total of 3,023 against 2,770 interned. The difference is accounted for by the inclusion in the figure for repatriation of many Europe ans who remained in Hongkong but were not interned; by the inclusion of Dominion-born Chinese and by the fact that Hongkong is the exit port for those who took refuge in Macao or Kwang Tung and the neighbour- ing provinces or who were interned in Canton.
With the decrease in availability of shipping space our figures of those remaining to be dealt with have tended to remain almost stable despite departures, because of the new arrivals from else- where.
6. In paragraph 2 reference was made to the card index system. This has been the means of clearing up many hundreds of enquiries through the Red Cross, whose representatives from the U.K., Australia and New
Zealand have almost hourly resort to it.
?• Our own tasks for the future are
8.
J
(a) the slow but steady clearance of the Europeans still
remaining;
(b) the investigation and clearance with Dominion authorities
of claims by Chinese to re-enter the Dominions;
(c) a similar task in relation to American citizens which is
being handled in conjunction with the U.S.A.Consul-General; (d) clearance of Latin Americans which is being explored
through their consuls and Protecting Powers and in which the U.S.A. Authorities will co-operate, if assured of pay- ment of passages;
(e) clearance of British West Indians after investigation and
consultation with the Governors concerned;
(f) clearance of Indians to a number estimated at any thing
from 1,200 to 2,000 - of whom
of whom approximately 850 (final em- barkation list not yet to hand) were embarked yesterday; and (g) finally the tying up of loose ends by a close check of the records of the internment camps against embarkation lists, which is in hand and is proving a long and tedious business.
The question of C.A.S. takign over from No.4 RAPWI Control Staff the handling of all matters in the Colony relating to recovered per-
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