RESTRICTED
HKK341|5
233-3988
D/DNSY/76/2 10 Aw HKK 341/5
16 October 1980
10
Commander F N Stephenson
Directorate of Naval Security
No
Old Admiralty Building Spring Gardens
LONDON SW1
PASSPORTS OF SERVICEMEN AND DEPENDENTS
HONG KONG
1. I refer to your letter of 12 May to Peter Webb and the enclosed telegram. We contacted Immigration Department in Hong Kong and they have now explained the situation.
2. In the past, HM Forces dependents travelling privately into Hong Kong have been mistaken for ordinary British visitors and were granted permission to stay for only six months. To avoid this misunderstanding, servicemen and their dependents are advised to get their passports endorsed to indicate their status to Immigration Control Officers. This ensures that servicemen and their dependents receive an endorsement for unconditional entry.
3. The Immigration Department have no record of correspondence with CAPIC on complaints about this practice; nor have they seen evidence that the endorsement causes difficulty for those intend- ing to visit China. Therefore the Department contacted CAPIC who disclaimed any personal knowledge of the issue, but agreed to send one of his staff to discuss the matter. However, this meeting did not materialise. Consequently, the Immigration Department now consider the matter closed, and will take no further action unless CAPIC approaches them again.
M A Searle
Hong Kong and General Department
RESTRICTED
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