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Page No. 7 of 10 pages
26.
Despite the reported deployment in June of further CCA reinforcements, possibly a regiment, in the border areas of Shenzhen Municipality, a total of 6,951 land and bay crossers were arrested, mostly at the western end of the land border, to which the new fence on the Hong Kong side does not yet extená. Many of these immigrants seem to have counted on a relaxation of Chinese and Hong Kong counter measures during two typhoons which passed through the area
during the month.
27.
Immigrants arriving by boat were fewer, with a total of 1,646 arrested. This reduction may be attributable in the west to Chinese anti- escape measures introduced this year in areas on each side of the Pearl River Estuary. The number of immigrants arriving by sea from the east has also fallen since mid June. This is believed to result from a shortage of boats
and of funds with which to buy them; unfavourable sea and wind conditions caused by the south-west monsoon; new anti-escape measures, including more severe punishments; and increased activity by Chinese Security Forces in the coastal areas. Though the numbers of immigrants involved are relatively small 102 were arrested in the four months April to July - there has been an increase in the use of very fast speedboats by syndicates operating mainly out of Macau but also from Hong Kong, picking up immigrants from the coast to the east. However, many times this number will have e vaded apprehension. In the same period there were 155 sightings of suspect speedboats, only a small proportion of which was it possible to intercept. Special attention is being given to countering this traffic, which is believed to be a highly
lucrative one.
Vietnamese Refugees
28.
During July, 1,209 refugees reached Hong Kong by 50 motorised boats from Central and Southern Vietnam; 260 refugees came from Northern
Vietnam by 6 sailing boats; and 1,398 persons, who had originated from Vietnam, been settled in China and were claiming to be refugees, arrived from
areas in Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces. In total, the arrivals numbered
2,867, the highest figure since last July.
/ para 29.
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