TNAG-1088-FCO40-1338-Illegal-immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 70

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BY BAG

JAL

In Scale.

RNN

27.

SECRETARIAT

ALBER

LBERT ROAD

HICK BLOWNER ALB

HỒNG TRONG

MAR 1981 February 1981

I RESISTRY

Action Take:

Pas 313

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

RECEIVES

7

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本署檔號 OUR REF.: SCR 6/2091/78

DESK

INDEX

PA

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

RP Margolis Esq

PARIS

PRIVATE VISIT BY FRENCH MINISTER OF JUSTICE

PA

Immigration

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Following an official visit to Japan, the French. Minister of Justice, Alain Peyrefitte, recently paid a short private visit to Hong Kong. His purpose was to do some research for up-dating his book on China which was first published in France in 1973 and, I understand, was seller at the time. I have only glanced at the English translation published in the US in 1977: 'The Chinese - Portrait of a People'. In writing his book Peyrefitte had considerable assistance from the French sinological community and much of the detail was gained during a study mission to Peking.

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The chapter which he was particularly anxious to up-date here is the one on 'The Fugitives of Hong Kong and Macau' (pages 339 to 344 - copy enclosed).

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At the request of the French Consulate-General, we arranged a briefing meeting in my office together with Ron Bridge, the Director of Immigration, followed by a visit to Victoria Barracks. The meeting started with a succinct account by Ron of the changes that had taken place in our immigration problems since the book was written, with particular emphasis on the reasons for the end of the 'touch base' policy in October last year. There were plenty of obvious points to make about the change in composition of illegal immigrants and the fact that many now were only small children during the most turbulent phase of the Cultural Revolution. Peyrefitte asked sensible questions and seemed generally receptive to the account we gave him. Nevertheless, one sensed a certain reserve, or rather, a reluctance to believe that the wish to escape some form of persecution or to gain non-material benefits was not a significant factor in leaving China for Hong Kong. He certainly seemed, when he left my office, still to be thinking in terms of political refugees.

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The meetings with 'refugees' at Victoria Barracks

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