TNAG-0803-FCO40-1007-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 14

CONFIDENTIAL

GRS 500

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 291000Z DEC 78

TO PRIORITY F C O

HKK

NO.

OFFI

INDEY

Action Taken

Νο

(186

RAR

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1498 OF 29 DECEMBER

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

;

183

YOUR TELNO 967: IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG.

1. THE SUGGESTION MADE BY THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO CORTAZZI THAT WE SHOULD RETURN THOSE WHO HAVE OUTSTAYED THEIR CHINESE SHORT- TERM EXIT/RE-ENTRY DOCUMENTS LOOKS REASONABLE ENOUGH ON THE SURFACE BUT IT IS NOT PRACTICAL. NEARLY ALL THE CHINESE COMING TO HONG KONG ARRIVE WITH CHINESE DOCUMENTS VALID FOR TWO--

WAY TRAVEL, THE PERIOD IS USUALLY THREE MONTHS BUT CAN IN PRACTICE BE LESS IF THOSE CONCERNED TAKE TIME TO GET TO THE BORDER.

2. IF WE ATTEMPTED TO RETURN THE THOUSANDS WHO OVERSTAY, THEY WOULD SIMPLY DESTROY THEIR CHINESE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND EITHER GO UNDERGROUND OR CLAIM TO BE TREATED AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO HAD 'REACHED BASE''. WE WOULD THEN FACE THE SAME DILEMMA AS IN DEALING WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO REACH BASE'' IN THE URBAN

AREAS, IE (1) ARRESTING THEM FROM THE MIDST OF THEIR RELATIVES AND IN CROWDED AREAS IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE: AND (11) THE ALTERNATIVE OF DENYING THEM LEGAL DOCUMENTS TO STAY IS EQUALLY UNPALATABLE SING

IT WOULD CREATE A SUBSTRATUM OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE LAW WHO WOULD

BE VULNERABLE TO ALL SORTS OF PRESSURE.

3. WHEN THE SAME POINT ABOUT RETUNRING THOSE WHO OVERSTAY WAS

PUT BY THE NCNA TO PA ON 15 DECEMBER, THE LATTER EXPLAINED THESE

DIFFICULTIES. THE NCNA ACCEPTED THAT IT WAS NOT PRACTICAL TO RETURN SUCH PEOPLE BY FORCE, BUT HOPED THAT MORE WOULD BE DONE TO PERSUADE THEM TO GO BACK. (FULL RECORD OF CONVERSATION SENT BY BAG.)

CONFIDENTIAL

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