GF 323
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CONFIDENTIAL #
SCR 3/2091/79
機密
PAPER FOR THE GOVERNOP'S SECURITY COMMITTEE
(No. 16/79)
Evasion by Illegal Immigrants from China
Since the implementation of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Policy in 1978, persons living in China have had much more contact with the out- side world than hitherto, and noting the discrepancies in standards of living, many of them wish to leave China legally or illegally, in order to improve their living. At the same time travel control was relaxed, persons in receipt of Overseas remittances were no longer discriminated against and visitors to China were allowed to bring in luxury items, such as radios and TV sets. This increased the desire to leave China and also made it easier to do so.
2+
Almost every II, successful and unsuccessful, receives advice on methods and routes of escape, either from repatriated IIs, from letters from relatives in Hong Kong, many of them former IIs themselves, or from visits of friends and relatives in Hong Kong to China. At the same time, many potential IIs listen to Hong Kong radio and TV programmes and sometimes to other radio stations (such as Taiwan) and learn of the II situation in Hong Kong and the measures being taken to combat it.
3.
Once the decision to escape has been taken, there are a number of factors which influence the route and method of escape, such as geography, climate, access to escape "vehicles", ability to swim or sail 2 bozt, and access to escape information. In some cases only one route and method may be possible, in others, a choice is available. For example, IIs from the three border counties South of the East River and from Guangzhou Municipality have the greatest choice of route and method, whilst IIs from counties to the West of the Pearl River and to the North East (e.g. Haifeng, Lufeng) have in the past been limited to sea escapes. In the case of the north-eastem counties, in recent weeks, IIs have increasingly used land routes and by crossing Shenzhen Municipality, have arrived via Deep Bay or the western land border, in order to avoid Chinese security patrols, which are known to be heaviest in the easter land border.
4.
As far as land escapes and swimming are concemed, there is no evidence of syndication either in China or in Hong Kong, with most assistance or advice being opportunistic. With regards to sea escapes, there is evidence of syndication in Haifeng ounty, in the Tapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen Municipality and of course in Macau. In the latter two areas, there is normally a Hong Kong link with reception arrangements being made whilst IIs from the former area normally have to make their own way to Hong Kong.
5.
Advice received by the II whilst he is still in China relates both to the route in China and to the route once in Hong Kong. The deployment of Chinese security forces is often knam and it appears to be common knowledge that the eastern land border is the most heavily
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