TNAG-0663-FCO40-812-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 131

CODE 18-77

David

Mr David HKD

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference...

HKK 341/301/1

Ry Enter pu

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19

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: SIR JOHN RODGERS MP: HONG KONG AND REPATRIATED PEOPLE IN CHINA

TREATMENT OF CHINESE REFUGEES IN

1. You asked for information to help you answer Sir John Rodgers MP's oral Parliamentary Question (question in FCO telegram 125 to Hong Kong 18 February) by noon 22 February.

2. An agreement was reached locally between the authorities of Kwangtung Province in China and Hong Kong, in November 1974, for the return of illegal immigrants caught entering Hong Kong, subject to certain understandings about the way in which the policy was to be operated in practice. In returning illegal immigrants, Hong Kong would consider each case on its individual merits. China would only consider illegal emigrants guilty of a civil misdemeanour; repatriated people might be detained for a short time to be questioned but they would then be returned to their homes;

Hong Kong telegram 344 12 April 1976 and report of Mr Donald's talk with Fu Fex, head of a department in the Canton Foreign Affairs Bureau 14 June 1976). 411 illegal emigrants were repatriated from Hong Kong to China in the third quarter of 1975 and 75 remained in Hong Kong. In the same period in 1976 (1 July - 30 September) 293 were repatriated and 5 remained (01R Part 46 0791 (13)).7

3. In the debate on Hong Kong in the House of Lords on 1-April 1976,

Lord Goronwy-Roberts said inter alia that repatriated people were "not treated unduly harshly by the mainland Government", (copy of his statement attached).

4.

Judging from the Overt intelligence reports, it seems that China deals with repatriated people in the same way as it deals with people caught trying to emigrate illegally, although in some places repatriated people are segregated. detention imposed vary widely, in some cases it is only a few days, in others a number of months. According to a recent report, Detention Centres in 1975 were over- crowded, unhygenic and similar to prison. Most repatriated people, when they return to their communes or work units, undergo further criticism and/or periods of hard labour.

21 February 1977

CONFIDENTIAL

R.S Bishop

R S Bishop (Miss) Far Eastern Section Research Department