TNAG-0801-FCO40-1005-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 146

BY BAG

布政司署

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香港下亞

畢道

* OUR REF.: SCR 6/2091/55 IX

*YOUR REF. HKK 341/301/1

JA B Stewart Esq OBE

SECRET

Hong Kong & General Department FCO

ん

18

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

071412

W Quell

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

10th February, 1978

in Rampson/fnu (solomising to

Thx 12 Ld Gay-Rubato?)

tails

H.KK. 34.1/1 Joels

RECAVED A REMAIN HO. SI

-

1 MAR DIS

Dear Jolen.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

DESK INDEX

No 19

in 1

M.T

The Governor has asked me to reply to your letter of 10th January 1978. We were, incidentally, much relieved to learn that reports of a promise to provide legal assistance to illegal immigrants were inaccurate.

2.

We understand the concern of Mr Roper and Colonel Montgomery, that illegal immigrants should be dealt with humanely and sympathetically. It is, of course, our own concern and always has been, since we re-established the policy of repatriation. It is a point worth making in any further exchanges.

3.

It is also worth repeating our record in absorbing some 1 million immigrants in the past twenty years or so, who now comprise almost one-third of the total population. I do not think that anywhere else has a comparable record. But there must be a limit. Living in a small piece of land with no natural resources, we cannot both try to improve social conditions and allow an unrestrained growth of population. There is general support for repatriation by local people who well understand the effects of unrestricted immigration on the quality of their life.

4.

The frontier between Hong Kong and China cannot be compared with the 'iron curtain' in Europe. Last year, and with the minimum of formality a million Hong Kong people visited China. In the reverse direction about 26,000 immigrants entered Hong Kong from China legally, an average of 73 per day. This figure is, indeed, much greater than we would like. As you know it is already causing us

5.

concern,

One major objection to the idea of legal assistance for illegals is a political one. It is liable to be seen by the CPG as a retreat from the understanding on repatriation reached with them in 1974, which was in essence a return to the pre-1967 repatriation procedure. We need Chinese co-operation in keeping down the overall number of immigrants (as well as

SECRET

2/on