TNAG-0802-FCO40-1006-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 142

CONFIDENTIAL

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機密

10.

The figure of illegal immigrants interviewed and accepted as having evaded control since 30 November 1974 is 21,532. The up-to-date ratio of interceptions against evasions is 1:3.54. (Allowing a six months surfacing lag of the evaders, the running ratio as at 31 January 1978 is now 1:4.20).

Macao

11.

60 illegal immigrants were referred to this department by the Marine Police during the month. 50 were repatriated to Macao and the remaining 10 are still being processed.

12.

М

2 groups of 10 and 49 illegal immigrants were intercepted by the Marine Police on board 2 non-Hong Kong registered motorised junks off Lamma Island and Soko Islands on 15 July and 21 July respectively. 4 aiders and abettors were arrested, convicted and sentenced to 12 - 24 months imprisonment. Application for forfeiture of these 2 junks is under process. In addition, a motorised junk seized on 30 May for conveying 15 illegal immigrants was forfeited to the Crown during the month.

13.

Since November 1975, the total of illegal immigrants interviewed and accepted as having entered from Macao is 2,139. Of these, 320 were arrested, 1,506 surfaced through ROP claiming illegal entry from Macao and 313 surfaced through ROP falsely claiming illegal entry from elsewhere.

Registration of illegals

14.

During July 1,103 persons (compared with 1,094 last month) registered with the Registration of Persons Office, claiming to have entered Hong Kong illegally from various sources. The figure includes 1,015 persons (compared with 1,031 last month) claiming to have come from China and 37 (compared with 290 last month) from Macao.

15.

Since 1962, the Registration of Persons Office has registered a total of 328,090 persons who claimed to have entered Hong Kong illegally from various sources, primarily China. The total since January 1970 is 114,335 of whom 96,261 claimed to have come from China and 6,090 from Macao. The true figure of illegal immigrants from China is somewhat lower and the true figure of Macao somewhat higher, because of attempts to conceal the true place of origin on registration to avoid repatriation. Separate statistics of confirmed place of origin are shown para 10 for China, and para 13 for Macao.

16.

The attached appendices B to give details of arrests of illegal immigrants from China during July

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Encls

Mu-thie.

J M Murphie Director

CONFIDENTIAL

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