TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 118

38 965

COFIDENTIAL

F HONG KONG 062031Z FEB 79

CONFIDENTIAL I

HKK 341/1.

17,

7 FEB 27

No

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.216 OF 6 FEBRUARY,

INFO PRIORITY: PEKING, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.

3)

MY TELNO.75: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

S

6 70 الشرقية

1. THE NUMBERS FOR JANUARY WERE AS FOLLOWS (COMPARATIVE FIGURES

FOR DECEMBER AND FOR JANUARY 1978 IN BRACKETS);

(A) TOTAL ARRIVALS WITHOUT VISAS FOR HONG KONG:

18,693 (11,376 : 2,837).

(B) HOLDING ONWARD VISAS : 2,587 (1,758 : N/A).

(C)

DAILY AVERAGE OF ALL NOT HOLDING ONWARD VISAS: 261 (310: 92)..

(D) PASSPORT HOLDERS WITHOUT ONWARD VISAS: 205 (3825: 146),

(E) ILLEGALS REPATRIATED: 1886 (1128 : 185).

2. WE HAVE PASSED THESE FIGURES TO THE N CNA, POINTING OUT

THAT, WHILE TOTAL ARRIVALS WERE LOWER THAN IN DECEMBER, THIS WAS

ONLY BECAUSE OF THE DRAMATIC (AND OVERDUE) REDUCTION IN THE NUMBERS OF PASSPORT HOLDERS WITHOUT ONWARD VISAS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH THE PHILIPPINES AS THE DECLARED DESTINATION (52 IN JANUARY COMPARED WITH 3013 IN DECEMBER) WE EXPRESSED GRATITUDE FOR THE EFFECTIVE MEASURES EVIDENTLY TAKEN TO TACKLE. THIS ASPECT OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER WE ADDED THAT IT WAS ÈXTREMELY DISTURBING THAT THERE WAS A TWENTY PERCENT INCREASE IN PESMIT HOLDERS (ALSO WITHOUT ONWARD VISAS): 7,931 IN JANUARY COMPARED WITH 6,593 IN DECEMBER,

୯

./3. NCNA

CONFIDEL PINEAL,