TNAG-0854-FCO40-1064-The-Kowloon-Canton-Railway-1979 — Page 65

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(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Chinese passport holders with valid Hong Kong visas;

foreigners either with visas or without them if they were not required (Hong Kong could provide a list of countries which did not require visas to come to Hong Kong); and

Hong Kong residents with re-entry documents.

He thought there should be an agreement that if anybody not in these categories came on the train, either side could return them with an assurance that they would be accepted by the other side. Mr Li said that in his personal view this was acceptable.

3.

The Political Adviser said he agreed that formalities for the examination of passengers and baggage should be carried out by each side at their respective ends of the journey. Should there be a need for greater security checking by the Chinese side of baggage before it left Kowloon, he was sure that means could be found for doing this. It was already the practice, after all, at the airport. So far as a trial period was concerned, it could be a regular one. He doubted, however, whether it would be possible, for purely technical reasons, to start before Lunar New Year.

4.

Having reached agreement on the above points, the Political Adviser said that he was prepared to agree that Mr Howes, the General Manager of the KCR, should carry out further technical discussions on a through train service when he went to Canton on 8 January. Any arrangements arrived at by Mr Howes there would of course have to be ad referendum.

CC

S for E (2)

S for S

DTIC

D of I

D S B

Hong Kong & General Dept, FCO Far Eastern Department, FCO Chancery, Peking

Ref. Hong Kong

telno. 44 of 6 January,

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