TNAG-0094-FCO40-130-Control-of-immigration-into-UK-from-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 19

Ministry of Labour voucher before setting out and the pressure of

demand for vouchers has meant that people whose applications are

successful have to wait a long time before their turn for a voucher

comes round. A person who has obtained a voucher may bring his wife

and his children of up to the age of 18, and possibly somewhat older

if they are still dependent, with him. But this does not mean that

all other classes of people are barred from entry:

for example,

people whose fathers were born here are exempt from the control;

people who are elderly and whose children can look after them and

people who have enough money to satisfy us that we can regard them as

of independent means are freely admitted.

X

Mr. Jackson-Lipkin suggests in his letter of 13th November

that citizens of the U.K. and Colonies from territories which are still

dependent should be treated differently from citizens of independent

Commonwealth countries. This has not been found to be practical

during the past consideration of the Act, but it is, of course, a

possibility which we shall bear in mind whenever we are considering

further legislation on this subject. In this connection, I do not

follow the comment at (c) of the penultimate paragraph of Mr. Jackson-

of Hong Kong Lipkin's letter of 33th November that very few of the citizens would be

"British subjects". In fact, rather more than half the present Hong Kong

population of 3.8m. are British subjects.

SOYA

I fully understand what Mr. Jackson-Lipkin wishes concerning

the anxiety felt by people in Hong Kong about what would happen in the

event of an invasion from the Chinese mainland. But the fact is that

during the troubled period of the past seven months, the Chinese Government

have at no time demanded the return of Hong Kong to China and we have no

reason to suppose that they have any intention of invading the Colony.

The Foreign Secretary and Commonwealth Secretary have said publicly on

more than one occasion that Her Majesty's Government intend to fulfil

/their