TNAG-0981-FCO40-1200-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 99

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GR 355

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FM HONG KONG 040915Z FEB

HKK 341

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 04 FEB 1980

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

No

PA

REAR 10/3

REGISTRY

Action Taken

Awill2!

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NUMBER 197 OF 4 FEBRUARY, 1980

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE LONDON AND PEKING.

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MY TELNO 191: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

1. THE OLITICAL ADVISER TODAY GAVE THE NCNA THE JANUARY FIGURES AS IN MY TUR. HE SAID THAT ON BOTH LEGALS AND ILLEGALS IT WAS DISAPPOINTING THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN GREATER PROGRESS.

2. ON LEGALS, P.A. SAID THAT APART FROM THE CONTINUING HIGH NUMBERS, IT WAS DISTURBING THAT SO MANY OF THOSE WHO CLAIMED TO BE COMING ON VISITS WERE GIVEN TRAVEL PERMITS FOR ONE YEAR. MOST PERMITS WERE STILL VALID FOR ABOUT 11 MONTHS ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG. THIS SUGGESTED THAT EFFORTS WERE NOT (REPEAT NOT)

BEING MADE TO RESTRICT THE ISSUE OF PERMITS TO THOSE WHO GENUINELY INTENDED SHORT VISITS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES. WE HAD MENTIONED THIS PROBLEM TO XI ZHONGXUN, GOVERNOR OF GUANGDONG, IN DECEMBER AND HE HAD TAKEN THE POINT. SINCE THEN WE HAD DONE A DETAILED SURVEY. THIS SHOWED THAT DURING A SAMPLE WEEK (21 TO 27 JANUARY), OF 110 PERMITS ISSUED IN CANTON, 103 WERE VALID FOR 11 MONTHS ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG. ALL OF THESE HAD BEEN ISSUED IN CANTON IN JANUARY. SIMILARLY, OF 168 RETURN PERMITS ISSUED IN FUJIAN PROVINCE, 140 WERE STILL VALID FOR PERIODS OF 10 AND 11 MONTHS ON ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG, THE GREAT MAJORITY HAVING BEEN ISSUED IN DECEMBER 1979. FULL DETAILS (BY BAG) WERE LATER HANDED OVER TO NCNA.

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/3. ON ILLEGALS

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