TNAG-1088-FCO40-1338-Illegal-immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 167

GPS 200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 260748Z JAN 81

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 71 OF 26 JANUARY

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

HKK 341/1

RECEIVES IN REGISTRY NO. 51 30 JAN 1981

DESK OFACER

INDEX

No

PA

Ba I

REGISTRY Action Taken

Pan iqu Plas

R+R+o

me steb

noted

LITAS

PEND 3011

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION- HEYWOODS LETTER TO WILLIAMSON OF 22 JANUARY

(NOT TO PEKING).

IN YOUR REPLY TO MISS HICKS'S LETTER, IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU CAN AVOID IT NOT TO REFER TO THE POSSIBILITY OF INHUMANE TREATMENT CONSTITUTING GROUNDS FOR ALLOWING AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TO REMAIN HERE. IT IS TRUE THAT THIS IS PART OF OUR POLICY BUT IT

IS RARELY INVOKED BECAUSE GENUINE CASES ARE VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN IF THIS CONCESSION WERE WIDELY REPORTED (AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THE LETTER MISS HICKS REFERS TO IS FROM THOSE SKILLED PUBLICISTS THE FREE CHINA RELIEF ASSOCIATION) WE MIGHT BE FACED WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, CLAIMING THE PROSPECT OF HARSH TREATMENT

IF RETURNED TO CHINA.

2. IT WOULD ALSO BE PREFERABLE TO AVOID MENTION OF ANY SPECIAL BOARD TO CONSIDER REQUESTS FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM. IT EXISTS BUT WE

DO NOT WANT IT PUBLICISED.

10

3. A LETTER FROM MORRICE TO ORR DATED 9 JANUARY (COPED TO PEKING) REFERRING TO THE SAME COMMUNICATION FROM THE FREE CHINA RELIEF ASSOCIATION (WHICH YOU ARE RIGHTLY ADVISING SHOULD NOT BE ANSERED) HAS ALSO BEEN RECEIVED. WE ARE LOOKING INTO THE QUESTION ASKED

IN IT, NAMELY THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS.

MACLEHOSE

LIMITED

HKX GD FED

MVD

NEWS D

SIR-E-YOUDE MR DONALD

THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED

A B