TNAG-0803-FCO40-1007-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 40

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4. PA SIAD THAT OUR FIGURES SHOWED THAT LESS THAN 2 PERCENT OF THOSE WITH 2-WAY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS RETURNED TO CHINA WITHIN THE PERIOD OF VALIDITY OF THE DOCUMENTS. HE WOULD ARRANGE FOR THE DETAILED FIGURES TO BE HANDED OVER TO THE NCNA,

5. PA ALSO RAISED THE PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ORIGINATING

FROM VIETNAM WHO HAD STAYED FOR A CONSIDERABLE TIME IN CHINA BEFORE COMING HERE. WE WERE FOLLOWING UP THIS PROBLEM IN PEKING. LI SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT CHINESE AND THAT THEY HAD ONLY STOPPED FOR VERY SHORT PERIOD IN CHINA WHERE THEY WERE SCMETIMES GIVEN FOOD AND MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS. HE RESPONDED TO PA'S STATEMENT THAT WE HAD EVIDENCE OF THESE PEOPLE STAYING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND FOR MANY CROSSING THE LAND BORDER TO CHINA BY SAYING THAT SUCH CASES WERE ONLY ''ISOLATED OCCURENCES''.

MACLEHOSE

FILES

HK & GD(5)

UND

SEAD

FED

PS

PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS

PS/PUS

MR. CORTAZZI

MR.MURRAY

COPIES TO:

HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE

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