CONFIDENTIAL
AGAINST THEIR GENERAL POLICY OF LIBERALISATION AS WEP AS COMMITMENTS
THIS IS CLEAR FOR INSTANCE FRC. TO FREER EMIGRATION IN PARTICULAR.
AN ARTICLE IN THE LOCAL COMMUNIST PAPER, WEN HUI BAO, PUBLISHED ON 14 FEBRUARY (FULL TEXT BY BAG), IT TAKES THE FORM OF AN INTERVIEW WITH AN OFFICIAL OF THE GUANGDONG OVERSEAS CHINESE AFFAIRS OFFICE, IN WHICH HE SAID THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PROCESSED FOR EMIGRATION LAST YEAR HAD INCREASED BY 30 PERCENT AND THAT IT IS CERTAIN THAT
HE ALSO SAID ABOUT THE NUMBER WILL INCREASE FURTHER THIS YEAR''.
HONG KONG BOTH THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO CHANGE IN CHINESE POLICY ABOUT PROCESSING APPLICATIONS AND (RATHER STRANGELY) THAT: ''EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT RESTRICTS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ENTERING HONG KONG''.
5. I THINK IT IS NOW BECOMING INEVITABLE THAT WE SHOULD EITHER IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS OURSELVES, OR SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO DO SO IN
IT MAY WELL BE ORDER TO FORCE THE CHINESE TO TAKE DRASTIC ACTION.
THAT NOTHING SHORT OF ACTUAL RESTRICTIONS WILL REALLY WORK SINCE THE CHINESE CAN THEN ARGUE THAT THEIR OWN POLICY IS ONE OF FREE MOVEMENT AND THE ONLY RESTRAINTS ARE THOSE IMPOSED BY OTHERS.
6. IF WE ARE TO IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS WE MUST GIVE THE CHINESE A MINIMUM OF 4-6 WEEKS' WARNING IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THEIR CO-OPERATION IF POSSIBLE AND TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION ON THE BORDER WHEN THE RESTRICTIONS TAKE EFFECT. TO GIVE ADVANCE WARNING NOW WOULD THUS MEAN RESTRICTIONS STARTING NOT BEFORE ABOUT THE END OF MARCH. I AM RELUCTANT TO ADOPT THIS TIMING BECAUSE OF THE CONJUNCTION WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT.
7. WOULD NOW LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE CHINESE AND SPEAK ON THE
FOLLOWING LINES.
OF
(1) DESPITE REPEATED REPRESENTATIONS THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT DROP IN NUMBERS. IT IS NOW INEVITABLE THAT WE WILL HAVE TO INTRODUCE RESTRICTIONS.
(11) BEFORE INTRODUCING RESTRICTIONS WE WOULD LIKE TO ALLOW TIME FOR THE FLOW TO BE REDUCED IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSION WHEN THEY
ARE
THIS COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED
IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER
SECTION 3 (4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1968
- 2
CONFIDENTIAL
/(III) WITHIN A MONTH
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