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4. MEANWHILE THE ESSENTIAL POINT IS TO GET OVERALL NUMBERS UNDER
CONTROL QUICKLY. AT PRESENT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO
ARRIVE COME ON WHAT ARE, IN EFFECT, TWO-WAY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. VIRTUALLY ALL STAY, DESPITE ALL OUR EFFORTS SINCE 15 JANUARY
TO PERSUADE THEM TO GO BACK, IF THE ''DOUBLE JOURNEY PERMITS''
THE CHINESE NOW PROPOSE ARE TO MEAN ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN PRACTICE, THEY MUST BE PART OF A DIFFERENT SYSTEM SUCH AS THAT SUGGESTED IN
PARA 3(D) OF MY T.U.R. I CANNOT SEE ANY MILEAGE IN OFFERING
TO DISCUSS WAYS OF PERSUADING HOLDERS OF EXISTING TWO-WAY PERMITS
TO RETURN. WE KNOW THE CHINESE WOULD SIMPLY SAY THAT WE SHOULD
SEND BACK ALL OVERSTAYERS.
·
5 I AM MOST ANXIOUS TO TAKE THE FIRST STEPS TO TACKLE THIS
PROBLEM SOON.
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HOPE
TO GET A CLEARER VIEW OF WHAT THE CHINESE ARE DOING, AND OF HOW
BEST TO DOVETAIL OUR OWN MEASURES TO THEIRS, IS TO PUT STRONGLY
TO THEM OUR CONCERN AND OUR DETERMINATION TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM
IF THEY DO NOT. I THEREFORE HOPE YOU WILL NOW AUTHORISE US TO GO
AHEAD IMMEDIATELY AS IN MY TUR MODIFIED BY PARA 3 ABOVE.
MACLEHOSE
FILES
HK & GD (6)
UND
SEAD
FED
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE
LONDON
PS
PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS PS/PUS
SIR A DUFF
SIR A PARSONS
MR. CORTAZZI
MR. MURRAY
2
(SENT BY BAG TO PEKING]
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER
SECTION 3 (4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958
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