TNAG-0803-FCO40-1007-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 41

CRS 4GA

COMM PENTIAL

DESIGY 160838Z

CONFIDENTIAL

AI PEKING 1684852 DEC 78

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 917 OF 16 DEC

AND TO HONG KONG

T

REI VAMIS GENEVA AND HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LDN

MIPT (NOT TO UKMIS GENEVA)

761

175

HKK 341/1

RED IN REGA

IND.X

13,070

PA

но уми ав

HONG KONG TELNO 239: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ORIGINALLY FROM VIETNAM

1. AT THE SAME MEETING WITH VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER CHANG WEN-CHIN, I ASKED WHETHER THE CHINESE SIDE WERE PREPARED TO RECEIVE BACK THE TWO GROUPS ABOUT WHICH WE HAD ALREADY MADE REPRESENTATIONS AND ALSO THE THIRD GROUP OF 163 WHICH HAD ARRIVED ON 14 DECEMBER.

2.

CHANG SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT REGARDED BY THE CHINESE AS HAVING BEEN ACCEPTED INTO CHINA. THEY HAD MERELY BEEN HELPED ON THEIR WAY, AND WERE THEREFORE STILL TO BE REG- ARDED AS VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. HE DID NOT DENY, HOWEVER, THAT SOME OF THEM HAD SPENT SOME TIME IN CHINA AND HAD CROSSED BY THE LAND BORDER. AS FAR AS THE POSITION OF THESE PEOPLE ACCOR- DING TO INTERNATIONAL LAW AND PRACTICE WAS CONCERNED, NEITHER HE NR THE BORDER AUTHORITIES WERE CLEAR. HE CLAIMED THAT THE BORDER GUARDS FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL BOTH THE ENTRY INTO AND DEPARTURE FROM CHINA OF THESE PEOPLE, WHO DID NOT WISH TO SETTLE HERE BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT MAKE A LIVING.

3. ! EXPLAINED THAT HAVING ONCE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO CHINA THE GROUPS COULD NO LONGER BE REGARDED AS VIETNAMESE REFUGEES BY WE WERE THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES OR BY THE UNITED NATIONS. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF ALLOWING THEM TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG, A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL IN VIETNAM BUT HOPING TO ESCAPE WOULD SEE THE WAY THROUGH CHINA AS AN EASY ROUTE TO HONG KONG, HONG KONG COULD NOT COPE WITH THE NUMBERS,

CHANG PROMISED TO ASK AND PUBLIC OPINION WOULD BE DISTURBED.

THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO LOOK AGAIN AT THE POSSIBILITY OF TAKING THESE PEOPLE BACK INTO CHINA.

CONFIDENTIAL

14.11

4. I ALSO