CONFIDENTIAL
Record of part of a meeting in the PA's office
on 30 July 1979
Present:
Mr Li Jusheng
Mr Tan Gan
Mr Li Ruoho
243/1.
HKK 243
PA
APA
148.2.A)
Immigration from China
Dr Wilson said that we were pleased that the action taken by the Chinese authorities to control illegal immigration had been so effective. However, the level of legal immigration for July was running at 158 per day. This was still considerably higher than we wished to see. Mr Li suggested that past reductions meant that Hong Kong should be content with the handling of legal immigration. Dr Wilson said this was not so. Once the level dropped to beneath 100 then there would be more grounds for feeling more relaxed about the problem.
Vietnamese Refugees arriving from China
2.
Dr Wilson said he was very concerned about recent arrivals by boat of refugees from Vietnam who had settled on Overseas Chinese farms. We knew of at least four boats so far. There had been no publicity about this, and it was important that before anything leaked there should be agreement on the repatriation of these people to China. It was particularly embarrassing that this flow was continuing at a time when, for its own reasons, Vietnam was apparently reducing the outflow of refugees. He mentioned the remarks made by Vietnamese and Soviet representatives at the Geneva meeting on the question of refugees (i.e. immigrants from China) coming to Hong Kong. In his speech, the Governor had made it clear that the only "refugees" in Hong Kong came from Vietnam, Mr Li said that the Chinese authorities had been grateful that this point had been made in the Governor's speech. He hoped there would soon be a reply on the question of Vietnamese refugees who had come from China. He asked that the NCNA should be told whenever there was any further information on this problem.
Transit of Hong Kong by Tibetans
3.
Mr Li referred to four people connected with: the Dalai Lama who were travelling on Indian Certificates of Identity and who wished to spend two days in transit in Hong Kong on their way for a visit of about six weeks in China. They would then wish to transit Hong Kong again for two days on their return. The British High Commission
/contd....
CONFIDENTIAL
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