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FIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG 3005802 MAY 79
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 676 GF 30 MAY
TOP COPY
HKK 341/1/
3 1 MAY 1979
40.51
INC
MY
PA
Acton Tuken
1.6
ре
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMAT OFF HER LONDON.
MIPT: LINES OF AN APPROACH ON IMMIGRATION.
seela
1. WE ARE RELIEVED THE FIGURES FOR LEGALS ARE DROPPING, BUT THEY ARE STILL SEVERAL THOUSAND A MONTH HIGHER THAN ACCEPTABLE.
NEVERTHELESS BECAUSE OF THIS SHALL IMPROVEMENT WE ARE PREPARED TO
POSTPONE THE ACTION WE HAD BEEN CONTEMPLATING OF IMPOSING A DAILY QUOTA. WE ARE DOING THIS ON THE STRICT UNDERSTANDING THAT NUMBERS
WILL CONTINUE TO DROP UNTIL THEY REACH A SATISFACTORY LEVEL, WE WL REVIEW THE SITUATION EACH MONTH AND RESERVE THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE
A QUOTA IF THE NUMBER OF LEGALS ARRIVING IS TOO GREAT. WE HOPE
THIS WILL NOT BE NECESSARY. BUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS NOW AN
INFINITELY MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM. WE ARE ARRESTING EACH DAY AS MANY
AS OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS FIGURES WHENEVER REPRESENTATIONS ARE
MADE CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS, AND SEVERAL THOUSAND SOLDIERG AND
POLICE AND NAVY HAVE TO BE DIRECTED TO THIS WORK. WE DO NOT
UNDERSTAND HOW ILLEGAL DEPARTURES FROM CHINA ON THIS SCALE IS
POSSIBLE. BUT WHATEVER THE CAUSE VERY URGENT ACTION IS NECESSARY
TO CONTROL THE FLOW. THE PRESENT SITUATION IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH
WHAT HUAND HUA SIAD IN LONDON IN OCTOBER AND DENG SAID I
IN MARCH
ABOUT TAKING EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF
MOVEMENT INTO HONG KONG. THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES HAVE ALREADY
STRENGTHENED THEIR PATROLS AND WILL DO SO FURTHER. STRONGER
MEASURES ON THE CHINESE SIDE ARE NOW ESSENTIAL. ONCE OVERALL
IMMIGRATION (BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL) IS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL WE
WILL BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS ARRANGEMENTS TO ENABLE GENUINE VISITS
TO BE PAID TO FRIENDS AND RELATIONS IN HONG KONG, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ENSURING THAT THE VISITORS RETURN AND DO NOT STAY ON AS AT
PRESENT.
2. 1 AGREE THAT THIS APPROACH WHOULD BE MADE AT A HIGH LEVEL IN PEKING (WITH PARALLEL ACTION HERE) AND SHOULD BE REINFORCED DURING ANY MINISTERIAL VISIT (6(1) OF PEKING'S TUR).
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