TNAG-0906-FCO40-1116-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 145

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

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HKK 34

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FM HONG KONG 049825Z SEP

Pausla No Aws/a

TO FRIORITY

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1237 OF 4 SEPTEMBER, 1979

то стру

INFO PRIORITY PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE LONDON.

MY TELEGRAM NUMBER 1228: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

sed 180

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(183)

1. THE ACTING POLITICAL ADVISER GAVE THE AUGUST FIGURES (IN REFTEL) TO THE NCNA TODAY AND SAID THEY WERE EXTREMELY DISTURBING.

LEGAL ARRIVALS SHOWED A 10 PER CENT INCREASE OVER JULY DESPITE THE

FACT THAT THE CHINESE ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER HAD TOLD THE

BRITISH AMBASSADOR IN PEKING ON 5 JULY THAT FURTHER MEASURES

WOULD BE TAKEN TO MAKE NUMBERS GO DOWN (PEKING TELNO 620 TO FCO). CUMULATIVE LGAL ARRIVALS THIS YEAR WERE 52,139 AND THIS CAME ON TOP OF THE EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL LAST YEAR! (67,495). TO THIS WAS

ADDED THE ALARMING NUMBER OF ILLEGALS THIS YEAR. HONG KONG

URGENTLY NEEDED A BREATHING SPACE BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS

BURDENS WHICH THIS MASSIVE INFLOW CAUSED ON PLANS FOR HOUSING, HEALTH, EDUCATION AND TRANSPORT.

2. ORR EXPLAINED THAT THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN ILLEGALS HAD BEEN

PARTICULARLY MARKED IN THE LAST 7 DAYS OF AUGUST WHEN THE AVERAGE

WAS 108 PER DAY. AS HE HAD TOLD THE NCNA OVER THE WEEKEND WE HAD

NOW HAD A FURTHER 800 IN A TWO DAY PERIOD AND WERE EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT LEVELS COULD QUICLY REACH, AND EVEN EXCEED, THE HUGE NUMBERS SEEN IN MAY AND JUNE. WE HOPED INCREASING MEASURES

COULD BE TAKEN.

ATIC

3. ORR SAID THAT WHILE THE INCREASE IN ILLEGALS WAS DRAMATIC

AND NEEDED AN EQUALLY DRAMATIC RESPONSE, THE HIGH LEVEL OF LEGAL IMMIGRATION WAS A SOURCE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN BECAUSE HERE WE

WERE SURE THAT MEASURES COULD BE TAKEN TO BRING NUMBERS DOWN

MORE QUICKLY. ONLY 700 OF THE AUGUST ARRIVALS HAD ONE WAY TRAVEL

CONFIDENTIAL

/PERMITS.