TNAG-0983-FCO40-1202-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 130

Trauscript of H.E'S Press conference on

Original at: Akko Holl

This Copy for:

Information only/Action

4.

11/180

HKK 341|1.

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

any

in this?

Would there be advantage at all in bringing in one fr2m2as

I am really not going to comment on this at all.

Q. Sir will the report be published?

DESK OFFICER INDEX

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A. is is-to de Gotor-in-AW (25.

A. The constitutional position is that the report is to the Governor-in-Council.

Illegal фоторобой

But it seems to me that, having

The G in C will take the advice of Counsel.

made that constitutional point, it is inconceivable that an enquiry set up to

establish the facts, set out the facts, and get hearing for them, would not

be published.

Concerning the problem of Illegal Immigrants. Are you satisfied with the

present situation?

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A. No I am certainly not. The level of Illegal Immigrants remains far too high.

In the last two months the number of arrests have been about 8 000 and I would

have thought about that number have also got through. On present forecasts

that is assuming there is no major increase, and that is rather an optimistic

assumption, assuming there is no major increase this year we will receive into our community about 70 000 by illegal immigration. When you add to that about

50 000 by legal immigration put that on top of 180 000 we had last year these figures are quite alarming. Since January 1978 I think we have gained something like 340 000 by migration. These are quite awe inspiring figures.

Q. Do you think that the Government are trying their best?

A. Well, these measures are joint between the Chinese and HK Governments, and its

very noticeable how measures on both sides of the border have improved over

the last year.

The evasion rate has come down. We reckon about a year ago or

a bit over a year ago three to 1, it's now 1 to 1 and this is the result in

great improvement in the techniques applied on our side of the border. We

know that the Chinese security forces are arresting far more people than we do.

I would have thought that of people leaving communes to attempt to get to HK I should be very surprised if say more than 1 in 6 gets through, so this suggests that

increasingly effective measures have been taken. On the other hand it does indicate the very large number who are on the move and want to get here.

We are

still getting as many as 70 000 so this is something about which we are not at all complacent and take seriously, so do the Chinese authorities.

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