TNAG-0802-FCO40-1006-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 58

CONFIDENTIAL

4. DURING SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION NCNA SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE REFUGEES WHO DID NOT WISH TO STAY IN CHINA (IRRESPECTIVE OF THE PERIOD WHICH THEY HAD SPENT THERE) AND THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO PREVENT THEM

PROCEEDING TO HONG KONG. THEY WERE 'VIETNAMESE PEOPLE' AND ''NOT

ENTITLED TO THE STATUS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS''.

5. CHINA'S CONTINUED REFUSAL TO ACCEPT THESE GROUPS HAS EXTREMELY WORRYING IMPLICATIONS. ONE OF THE GROUP OF 120 HAS SAID

THAT LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE AWARE OF THE PREPARATIONS THE GROUP WAS MAKING TO LEAVE PEIHAI AND DID NOT TAKE ANY STEPS TO PREVENT THIS. HE ADDED THAT THERE WERE OTHER GROUPS WHO COULD BE EXPECTED

TO LEAVE ONCE THEY DISCOVERED HOW EARLIER GROUPS HAD FARED.

6. WE UNDERSTAND FROM LOCAL UNHCR OFFICIALS THAT THOSE WHO HAVE

SPENT A CONSIDERABLE TIME IN CHINA COULD NOT BE TREATED AS REFUGEES HERE, THE US CONSULATE GENERAL HAVE ALSO TOLD US THAT SUCH GROUPS WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE CURRENT US PROGRAMME FOR REFUGEES FROM INDO-CHINA..

7. IF YOU AGREE, WE SHOULD LIKE PEKING TO RAISE THIS PROBLEM URGENTLY WITH THE CHINESE. WE SEE NO VALUE, HOWEVER, IN ARGUING WITH THEM ABOUT THE NATIONALITY OF AND FORMAL RECEPTION ARRANGEMENTS MADE IN CHINA FOR SUCH PEOPLE. THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE OF EMPHASIS IN OFFICIAL CHINESE STATEMENTS ABOUT ETHNIC CHINESE IN VIETNAM, AT AN EARLY STAGE IN THE DISPUTE DESCRIPTIONS WERE COMMON OF CHINESE 'NATIONALS' WISHING TO RETURN TO CHINA. AFTER THE 12 JULY PUBLIC NOTICE ISSUED BY KWANGS! AND YUNNAN REAFFIRMING THE STIPULATIONS OF THE SINO/VIETNAMESE BORDER CONTROL ACCORD MUCH GREATER EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE PROBLEMS FACED BY CHINESE ''RESIDENTS' IN VIETNAM AND ON THE NEED TO CREATE ''FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS FOR THE VOLUNTARY ADOPTION OF VIETNAMESE NATIONALITY BY CHINESE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE NOT YET DONE SO' (CHUNG HSI-TUNG AT THE VICE-MINISTERIAL MEETING IN HANOI ON 7 SEPTEMBER). THIS CHANGE SUGGESTS THAT THE CHINESE NOW PLAN TO CLASSIFY AS FEW AS POSSIBLE OF THOSE WHO HAVE RETURNED AS CITIZENS (OR EVEN AS LEGAL RESIDENTS) OF CHINA.

a. WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING POINTS BE MADE :

A. THE POSITION OF THESE GROUPS IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF PEOPLE FROM VIETNAM WHO REACH HONG KONG ON JUNKS

2 CONFIDENTIAL

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