CONFIDENTIAL
GR 925
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 040905Z DEC 78
TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELNO.1387 OF 4 DECEMBER,
INFO PRIORITY PEKING,
ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
-130
MY TELNO.1256: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
HKK 341
341/1
RAJJIVED IN RAGBÆAY NO. 51
**
4 DEC1973
DESK.OrG
INDEX
Ri TRY
Action Ten
No MCLE
1. I HAVE DISCUSSED THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM WITH H.M. AMBASSADOR
PEKING. DESPITE APPROACHES TO THE CHINESE OVER MANY MONTHS CULMINATING IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S COMMENTS TO HUANG HUA IN OCTOBER (YOUR TELNO 619 TO PEKING) THE NUMBERS HAVE CONTINUED
DURING NOVEMBER 8,106 (WITHOUT W.7. TO RISE AT AN ALARMING RATE.
THE TOTAL THIS YEAR,
ONWARD VISAS) ENTERED HONG KONG LEGALLY.
INCLUDING NOVEMBER, IS 67,195. VERY FEW (LESS THAN TWO PERCENT) RETURN TO CHINA (FOR FURTHER FIGURES SEE M.1. F.T)
152
2. THE NUMBER OF ILLEGALS HAS INCREASED AT AN EVEN GREATER RATE.
DURING NOVEMBER THE NUMBER ARRESTED (NOT A FIGURE RELEASED PUBLICLY) WAS 2263. THIS IS MORE THAN THE TOTAL FOR THE WHOLE OF 1977. SINCE WE PROBABLY CATCH ONLY 1 IN 5 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
WE MUST ASSUME THAT OVER 9,000 ILLEGALS WERE ADDED TO OUR
POPULATION IN NOVEMBER.
3. WE CAN ABSORB IMMIGRANTS AT THIS RATE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD
ONLY. PUBLIC OPINION IS RECOMING RESTIVE ABOUT THE CONTINUING INCREASE AND FEARFUL OF THE CONSEQUENCES. THERE WERE SOME POINTED QUESTIONS IN LEGCO ON WEDNESDAY AROUT THE EFFECTS OF THESE NUMBERS ON OUR SOCIAL SERVICES (MY TELNO.1383)
150)
4. I AM MOST RELUCTANT TO REIMPOSE IMMIGRATION CONTROLS AT THE
BORDER. WE KNOW THAT THE CHINESE WOULD OBJECT STRONGLY, CLAIMING (HOWEVER DISINGENUOUSLY) THAT FREE MOVEMENT BETWEEN CHINA AND HONG KONG IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE FOR THEM. AN ARGUMENT ABOUT IMPOSING THEM WOULD DAMAGE THE FRIENDLY AND CONSTRUCTIVE ATMOSPHERE WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY FOSTERED. MOREOVER ONE MUST FACE THE FACT THAT THEY COULD FRUSTRATE OUR ATTEMPTS AT CONTROL, E, G BY REFUSING TO ACCEPT BACK ILLEGALS, OR BY RELAXING CONTROLS ON
CONFIDENTIAL
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