TNAG-0983-FCO40-1202-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 200

Also Ar HKCK 243/4

CONFIDENTIAL GPS fee

DESKBY 190600Z

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 190507Z JUN 80

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 171 OF 19 JUNI

HICK 341|1

НСК зі

INFO FCO HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LOINED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

INFO SAVING UKMIS GENEVA

Nif

19 JUN 1980

EGISTRY

Aw 1976

P.A

YOUR TELNO 398 TO FCO (NOT TO ALL CALL ONE CHINESE MINISTER-

IMMIGRATION AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.

UP TO 18 JUNE 4,878 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN REPATRIATED THIS

MONTH, A DAILY AVERAGE OF 271.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES VIA CHINA

2. AS OF TODAY 881 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ARRIVING THIS MONTH HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS COMING FROM CHINA, COMPARED WITH 472 DIRECT ARRIVALS FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIETNAM. 9 BOATS WITH 722 REFUGEES

ARE STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

3. WE HAVE NOW IDENTIFIED ONE BOAT WHICH ARRIVED ON 14 JUNE WITH

16 REFUGEES AS COMING FROM BEIHAI IN GUANGXI. THOSE ON BOARD CLAIMED TO HAVE LEFT VIETNAM IN LATE 1978. SOME MORE SMALL BOATS UNDER INVESTIGATION ARE ALSO SUSPECTED OF COMING FROM BEIHAI. WE

BELIEVE THERE ARE UP TO 1,000 SMALL BOATS THERE WHICH HAVE NOT YET. BEEN INTEGRATED INTO FISHING COMMUNES WITH ACCOMMODATION ON LAND . THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AREA IF IT IS NOT DEALT WITH

QUICKLY.

4. ONE BOAT WHICH ARRIVED YESTERDAY WITH 141 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ON BOARD WAS THE FIRST IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS TO COME DIRECT TO HONG KONG RATHER THAN VIA MACAU. IT CAME FROM SHUNDE (7311/1795) IN FOSHAN PREFECTURE, GUANGDONG. SOME OF THE REFUGEES WERE FROM DAWANG FARM ( A SOURCE OF MANY ARRIVALS LAST YEAR) WITH OTHERS FROM BOLUO AND HUIYANG COUNTIES IN GUANGDONG AND ALSO FROM FARMS IN GUANGXI AND FUJIAN. THE REFUGEES SAID THEY HAD COME BECAUSE OF

RUMOURS THAT WESTERN COUNTRIES WERE ACCEPTING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS OVERSEAS. THEY MADE NO ATTEMPT TO PRETEND THAT THEY HAD COME DIRECT FROM VIETNAM.

5. THE LOCAL UNHCR OFFICE TOLD US YESTERDAY THAT ABOUT 90 OVERSEAS CHINESE FROM INDONESIA LIVING IN FARMS IN GUANGDONG HAVE REACHED MACAU ON BOATS BOUGHT BY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING ADDS MACLEHOVE

(REPEATED AS REQUESTED)

FILE S

SEAD

HK & GD

UND

FED

ECD

PUSD

OID

IPD

NEWS D MAED MVD

LEGAL ADVISERS

(MR RUSHFORD)

PS PS/LPS

PS/MR BLAKER

PS/MR RIDLEY

PS/PUS

MA·STRATION qe TURRAY

SIR D MAITLAND

MR DONALD

LORD NG LENNOX

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION BOAT PEOPLE

Caprès

HONG KONG Govò office

CONFIDENTIAL.

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT ADVANCED

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