TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 122

SCR 6/2091/55

CONFIDENTIAL

41/1.

НКК 341 RECEIVED IN RICAN

1FER1979

DARK INDEX

26 January, 1979

15

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Mr Qu

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RC Samuel Esq

Far Eastern Department

F CO

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA

We are beginning to suffer from a new form of illegal immigrant. Perhaps they should be called "approved" illegal immigrants.

2.

Between approximately mid-December and early January, a large number of people turned up at Lau Fau Shan (on the shores of Deep Bay in the North West of Hong Kong). The total was over 1,500, although we have no accurate record. They all came from the Shajing (Sha Ching) Commune which lies further up the Pearl River delta just south of the Boca Tigris. They had apparently been given permission by the commune authorities to come to Hong Kong and go shopping for a few days. About half clearly intended to make their shopping expedition considerably longer. They never went back to their commune. To date about 800 have already applied for Hong Kong certificates of identity.

3.

It has long been a traditional practice that members of nearby Chinese communes should farm land owned by the communes on our side of the border or look after oyster beds in Deep Bay. I gather that it is also a traditional practice for some members of these communes, generally cadres, to come ashore and go shopping, for instance in the town of Yuen Long. From the information we have so far managed to put together on this new group, it seems that commune members began to agitate for the same freedom to come to Hong Kong as had previously been enjoyed by cadres. The commune authorities agreed that more should be allowed to go. There was then something of a stampede which eventually resulted in the PLA being sent into the commune on 1 January.

/contd.......

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CONFIDENTIAL