TNAG-0981-FCO40-1200-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 168

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FM HONG KONG 071110Z JAN RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMON BAYAN DEFIGE TELEGRAM NUMBER 42 OF 7 MANDER INFO PRIRORITY PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.

INDEX

OFFICER

1980

MY TELNO 30: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

REGISTRY Action Taken

a short supplement tr

the brief for the Governors Hills

B.

1. POLITICAL ADVISER TODAY SAW LI JUSHENG, SECOND DIRECTOR OF THE NONA, AND SPOKE ON THE LINES OF PARA 5 OF MY TUR.

2. ON ILLEGALS, LI SAID THAT THE NEW REGULATIONS HAD BEEN PUT INTO EFFECT ON 1 JANUARY. HE HOPED THAT THE DROP IN NUMBERS WHICH

HAD BEEN APPARENT SINCE THEN WOULD CONTINUE. HE EMPHASISED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE WERE MANY SNAKEHEAD OPERATIONS AND THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO STAMP OUT ILLEGAL EMIGRATION UNTIL THESE PEOPLE HAD BEEN DEALT WITH. IN SOME CASES THE SNAKEHEADS HAD CONNECTIONS

WITH JUNIOR OFFICIALS IN CHINA.

3. ON LEGALS, LI SAID THAT GREAT EFFORTS HAD BEEN MADE TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. THE NUMBER OF PERMITS BEING ISSUED TO COME TO HONG KONG HAD BEEN REDUCED. HE WAS EVASIVE, HOWEVER, ABOUT WHEN AND HOW THIS REDUCTION MIGHT BECOME APPARENT IN THE FIGURES OF THOSE CROSSING THE BORDER. IN RESPONSE TO A COMMENT BY THE P.A. ABOUT FAMILY GROUPS BEING GIVEN PERMITS FOR AN AVERAGE OF NINE MONTHS ALLEGEDLY FOR VISITS, LI SAID THIS WOULD BE LOOKED AT FURTHER. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MANY OF THOSE CLAIMING TO COME ON VISITS WERE CHEATING BOTH THE CHINESE AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS AND THAT MANY CHINESE OFFICIALS

MUST BE AWARE OF THIS DECEPTION.

4. ON PUNISHMENT, LI SAID THAT HE FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE HONG KONG POINT OF VIEW, THE CHINESE POLICY WAS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF ''ESCAPING'' BY IMPROVING ECONOMIC STANDARDS AND EDUCATION. HARSH PUNISHMENTS ONLY OCCURED FOR ISOLATED CASES WHEN E.G. WEAPONS WERE USED AGAINST THE SECURITY FORCES.

CATER

FILE S:

HK & G D

FED

PUSD

OID

PS/MR BLAKER MR CORTAZZI

MR MURRAY

COPIES TO:

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE

LONDON

་་་་་་་་་་་་

NEWS D

CONFIDENTIAL