TNAG-0664-FCO40-813-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 134

CODE 18-77

SS 10/76

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference...

47)

Mr Milton

DEATH SENTENCES FOR "SNAKESHEAD" ORGANISERS

1.

You may be interested to read the attached copy of an Overt Intelligence Report (OIR) dated 1 July 1977 which reports the circumstances in which a man found guilty of smuggling escapees out of China by junk was sentenced to death and subsequently executed.

2. This is not the first occasion on which I have read of death sentences passed on "snakeshead" organisers, but luckily an execution in China is a rare occurrence. It seems to me, however, that the few executions that do take place could very easily be misinterpreted by the public or MPs here in a way detrimental to Sino-British relations over Hong Kong and the continuance of our present agreement on the return of illegal immigrants.

3.

I am copying this minute to Mr Wilson, the Political Adviser Designate to Hong Kong.

5 August 1977

اگر ترک

T J David

Hong Kong & General Department K 245

233 4777

cc: Mr D Wilson (Political Adviser Designate) o.r.

1. I agree with what you say in the second sentence of paragraph 2 of your minute. It would only be necessary for a "few executions" (or, indeed, perhaps one only) to become known for there to be a risk that the policy of returning illegal immigrants to Chinawodbe undermined. It would become very difficult to maintain our line, which we have used several times in the past, to the effect we are not aware of those illegal immigrants returned to China suffering "unduly harsh punishment".

I am con cerned therefore that this is not the first occasion on which you have read of death sentences being passed on the organisers of "snakeheads". While it might be possible to seek to turn a blind eye towards the execution of the ringleaders of organised escapes of illegal immigrants, as opposed to the lesser punishments meeted out to individual escapees, I think we would still be on a slippery slope in inviting Ministers to defend our policy in Parliament. If you agree, I think you and Research Department, in consultation with FED, should continue to keep a particularly close watch on any reports about what happens to illegal immigrants returned to China and subjected to punishment. If there were to be further reports of executions I think we should feel obliged to bring these to the notice of Ministers.

10 August 1977

CONFIDENTIAL

D.F. Millon

D F Milton

Hong Kong & Gen Dept