TNAG-0982-FCO40-1201-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 197

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d)

The affect on police/public relations could be very bad.

a Hong Kong in which an ID card had to be produced on demand would be a tense and different place to the Hong Kong we have known. It could develop

a sort of siege atmosphere, which could lend itself to the charge of police state".

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7. I have no intention, therefore, of agreeing to the implementation of these plans unless the situation deteriorated very drastically, and there appears to be no hope of improvement.

8. The ideal scenario for introducing the new plans would be: -

a)

b)

c)

maximum garrison strength;

maximum pressure by the Chinese authorities and signs of increasing ability to stop the population movement;

a time of year at which the weather was inimicable to movement of IIs (ie winter).

However none of these conditions operate at present. Nevertheless the prospects of being swamped this summer exist, therefore we are right to prepare these plans.

CC: HE Mr P Cradock CMG

PEKING

Man

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