TNAG-0802-FCO40-1006-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 55

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTITL

M PEKING 270715Z NOV 78

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 78 OF 27 NOV

341/1

HKK 34 RECEIVED IN ROUNTRY NO. 5T

INFO ROUTINE FGO, VIENTIANE, KITS 28-ASHINGTON, Dee (153

HANOI AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENT-CEREASE

DON.

No 30"

•See

YOUR TELNO 1352 TO FCO: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ORIGINALLY FROM

VIETNAM

1.

146)

(148

FIRST SECRETARY IN CHANCERY SPOKE TO HAN LI-LI OF WESTERN

EUROPEAN DEPT. MFA ON THE AFTERNOON OF 24 NOVEMBER ALONG THE LINES SUGGESTED, LEAVING BEHIND A (NEXT THREE WORDS UNDERLINED)

BOUT DE PAPIER COVERING POINTS A-G OF PARA 8 OF YOUR TUR.

2

HAN'S INITIAL REACTION WAS THAT THESE BOAT REFUGEES WERE

MERELY BEING HELPED ON THEIR WAY BY THE CHINESE. SHE WAS

HOT AWARE OF THE SECOND GROUP OF 120, AND APPEARED GENUINELY SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT SOME OF THESE HAD CROSSED TO CHẲNA

BY LAND AND ACQUIRED THEIR BOATS IN CHINA. THE POINT ABOUT

UNHELPFUL PUBLICITY APPEARED TO BE WELL TAKEN. HAN PROMISED

TO PASS ON THE INFORMATION AND OBTAIN A RESPONSE TO OUR

· REQUEST THAT THESE TWO GROUPS BE ACCEPTED BACK IN TO CHINA,

3. AS SUGGESTED IN PARA 9 D OF YOUR TUR, SULLIVAN MENTIONED THAT CONCERN ABOUT THESE GROUPS OF REFUGEES WAS HEIGHTENED

BY THE CONTINUED INCREASE OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, HAN STRESSED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WERE ALREADY TAKING PEASURES TO SLOW DOWN THE FLOW, BUT SEEMED TO TAKE THE POINT THAT MORE COULD BE DONE IN THE WAY OF ENSURING THAT EMIGRANTS TO FINAL DESTINATIONS BEYOND HONG KONG OBTAINED VISAS BEFORE SEING GIVEN EXIT PERMITS. SHE FELT SURE THAT BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS COULD BE RESOLVED IN THE CURRENT EXCELLENT SPIRIT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UK EXEMPLIFIED DURING HUAMC HUA'S VISIT, AND MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY THAT CHINA WANTED GOOD RELATIONS NOT MERELY WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT BUT WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN HONG KONG. CRADOCK

FILES

#KGD (b)

UND

FAD

SEAD

MR CORYZZ

MR STRAPON

MR MURRAY

REPAYTHON

COPIES

70

OFFICE

ه دیار بویر

YO HANOI

REFERRED FOR OSPNATMENYAL DE CISION, REPEATED AS RAWSS750

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