TNAG-0663-FCO40-812-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 134

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B) WE DO NOT HAVE FULL INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO REPATRIATED

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS INSIDE CHINA. THE CHINESE WOULD CONSIDER THI

ENTIRELY AN INTERNAL MATTER AND WE HAVE ACCORDINGLY NEVER SOUGHT ANY FORMAL ASSURANCES ABOUT THE TREATMENT METED OUT TO THOSE

RETURNED. BUT FROM SUCH INFORMATION AS WE HAVE, WE HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THOSE RETURNED HAVE SUFFERED UNDULY HARSH TREATMENT,

FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT TRYING TO ENTER HONG KONG MORE THAN ONCE AND WHO HAVE BEEN REPATRIATED BEFORE. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN ASSURANCES IN CONFIDENTIAL EXCHANGES WITH COMMUNIST OFFICIALS LOCALLY BUT THESE CANNOT BE MENTIONED PUBLICLY. THEY MAKE CLEAR THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES NORMALLY REGARD ESCAPE TO HONG KONG AS A CIVIL MISDEMEANOUR CALLING FOR MEASURES OF SOCIAL EDUCATION RATHER THAN SEVERE PUNISHMENT:

(C) FACTS ARE THAT SINCE 30 NOVEMBER 1974, 46 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

FROM CHINA ARRESTED ON ENTRY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN HONG

KONG. THERE HAVE BEEN NO CASES WHERE POLITICAL ASYLUM HAS BEEN

SOUGHT.

FOR REASONS SET OUT IN PARAGRAPH 3 OF OUR TELEGRAM NO. 107 OF 6

FEBRUARY 1976, WE HOPE ANSWER CAN AVOID GIVING PRECISE FIGURE FOR THOSE ALLOWED TO REMAIN, WITHOUT SOME APPROPRIATE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) CAVEAT. IT WOULD HELP LOCALLY IF ANSWER COULD SIMPLY

CONFIRM THAT SOME OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CAUGHT TRYING TO ENTER

ILLEGALLY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG BUT THAT SPECIFIC

INFORMATION, TOGETHER WITH A NECESSARY CONFIDENTIAL COMMENTARY, WILL

BE CONVEYED PRIVATELY BY LETTER.

(D) WE HAVE NO WAY OF IDENTIFYING EASILY HOW MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE MOVED FROM HONG KONG TO THIRD COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY IN VIEW OF THE NUMBERS WHO HAVE EVADED DETECTION ON ENTRY AND THE NUMBERS WHO

ENTER FROM ELSEWHERE AND CLAIM TO HAVE COME FROM CHINA, NOR CAN WE SPECIFY THIRD COUNTRIES TO WHICH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS MAY HAVE GONE, BUT WE WOULD GUESS THAT THE UNITED STATES, CANADA AND POSSIBLY AUSTRALIA MAY HAVE ADMITTED SOME. WITHOUT THE COOPERATION OF THE AUTHORITIES OF SUCH THIRD COUNTRIES IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO PRODUCE ANY WORTHWHILE STATISTICS. WE HAVE NO (REPEAT NO) EVIDENCE OF ANY HAVING GONE TO TAIWAN:

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