TNAG-0984-FCO40-1203-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 101

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UNDER THE NEW LEGISLATION PROVISION IS MADE FOR APPEALS AGAINST REPATRIATION TO CHINA. A TRIBUNAL OF TWO ADJUDICATORS DRAWN FROM A PANEL SELECTED LARGELY FROM EXISTING LAY ASSESSORS WHO ADVISE MAGISTRATES, WILL CONSIDER APPEALS MADE ON STATUTORY GROUNDS.

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE EFFECTS WHICH CONTINUING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AT THE PRESENT LEVEL WOULD HAVE HAD ON HONG KONG'S SOCIAL PROGRAMMES AND IN GENERAL TERMS ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE'' IN HONG KONG. IT WILL READILY BE SEEN THAT THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO CHOICE, IF STANDARDS WERE TO BE MAINTAINED AT ACCEPTABLE LEVELS FOR THE EXISTING POPULATION OF HONG KONG, BUT TO IMPLEMENT A MORE RESTRICTIVE POLICY TOWARDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION,

A PROBLEM OF PEOPLE

FOR THE PAST 140 YEARS HONG KONG HAS PROVIDED EITHER TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT SHELTER TO THOSE WHO FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS HAVE ENTERED ITS CONFINED AREA. ITS COMMUNITY AND ITS GOVERNMENT CAN JUSTIFIABLY TAKE PRIDE IN THIS TRADITION: AND THEIR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO THE TRAGIC EXODUS OF VIETNAMES BOAT REFUGEES HAS BEEN

SECOND TO NONE.

HOWEVER, THERE COMES A TIME WHEN AN ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY, WHICH IS ALREADY OVERCROWDED, BEGINS TO SUFFER INTOLERABLY AS A DIRECT RESULT OF CONTINUING WAVES OF IMMIGRATION, THE MAJORITY OF IT ILLEGAL. HONG KONG'S ESTIMATED POPULATION AT THE END OF JUNE 1980

WAS 5,067,900. MORE THAN 460,000 (JUST LESS THAN 10 PER CENT) ARE IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE ENTERED HONG KONG FROM CHINA SINCE THE BEGINNING OF 1975. WITH A LAND AREA OF ONLY 1,961 SQUARE KILOMETRES, MUCH OF IT UNSUITABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED PLACES IN THE WORLD (4,776 PEOPLE PER SQUARE KILOMETRE). THE DENSITY IN ONE DISTRICT, MONG KON, AT 145,000 PER SQUARE KILO- METRE, HOLDS THE DUBIOUS RECORD OF THE HIGHEST DENSITY IN THE WORLD.

MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE RATE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA, THE ANNUAL RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH (EXCLUDING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES) IN HONG KONG HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED,

FROM AN AVERAGE OF 2 PERCENT DURING 1971-1977, TO OVER 5 PERCENT IN 1979. INCLUDING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, THE TOTAL GROWTH RATE IN 1979 WAS 6.3 PERCENT, OVER FIVE TIMES THE NATURAL GROWTH RATE OF 1.2 PER CENT. THIS RATE OF GROWTH FROM IMMIGRATION IS UNIQUE IN

ASIA.

THE EFFECTS ON HONG KONG'S SOCIAL PROGRAMMES - TO WHICH THE COMMUNITY AND THE GOVERNMENT ATTACH GREAT AND INCREASING IMPORTANCE -

HAVE BEEN IMMENSE. IF THE LEVEL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CONTINUES AT THE RATE OF THE LAST 20 MONTHS, IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN PRESENT STANDARDS, LET ALONE IMPROVE THEM AS THE GOVERNMENT

HAS PLANNED. IT IS EVIDENT FROM THE EXPRESSION OF PUBLIC OPINION THAT MOST PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WISH THE PRESENT HIGH RATE OF ILLEGAL

IMMIGRATION TO BE REDUCED DRASTICALLY.

AS THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID IN HIS POLICY ADDRESS ON 1 OCTOBER, 1988 OPENING THE CURRENT SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IS A MATTER FOR CO-

-2- SECRET

/-OPERATION.