CONFIDENTIAL
5. THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT HAS BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE FACT THAT OUR EXISTING LEGISLATION DOES NOT EMPOWER US TO RETURN CHILDREN WHO EVADE CAPTURE ON FIRST ARRIVAL (SINCE THE POWER OF REMOVAL RELATES TO OFFENCES WHICH CHILDREN ARE LEGALLY INCAPABLE OF COMMITTING). URGENT STEPS ARE THEREFORE BEING TAKEN TO SEEK TO AMEND THE IMMIGRATION ORDINANCE TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY POWERS AND, UNTIL THIS IS DONE, ONLY CHILDREN INTERCEPTED ON FIRST ARRIVAL WILL BE
SENT BACK.
6. SOME REPORTS OF CHILDREN BEING SMUGGLED IN HAVE APPEARED IN THE
PRESS AND ATTRACTED LITTLE COMMENT. THE GENERAL ASSUMPTIOON SEEMS D BE THAT THEY WILL BE SENT BACK. HOWEVER WHEN REMOVALS BEGIN, HOWEVER HUMANELY THEY ARE DEALT WITH AND HOWEVER WEAK THE GROUNDS FOR THE CHILDREN REMAINING, SOME ADVERSE PUBLICITY IS TO BE EXPECTED. TO REBUT THIS, WE SHALL REFER TO OUR POLICY OF LOOKING AT EACH CASE ON ITS HUMANITARIAN MERITS (ALTHOUGH WE SHALL HAVE TO AVOID TOO MUCH EMPHASIS LEST THE DETERRENT EFFECT BE WEAKENED), AND WE CAN POINT OUT THAT THE FAMILY SEPARATION WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PARENTS IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THAT WE ARE IN NO POSITION TO ABSORB LARGE NUMBERS OF IMMIGRANT CHILDREN, WITH ALL THE STRAIN ON THE SOCIAL SERVICES, EDUCATION ETC. WHICH THEY WOULD CREATE.
7. OUR HOPE IS THAT AN APPEARANCE OF FIRMNESS COMBINED WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF VIGILANCE ON THE BORDER AND CO-OPERATION BY THE CHINESE WILL NOW DAMP DOWN FURTHER MOVEMENTS. OUR AIM IS TO AVOID JEOPARDISING THE SUCCESS OF THE MEASURES WE TOOK A YEAR AGO THROUGH
ON THE ONE HAND HEAVY HANDED ACTION ON AN EMOTIVE ASPECT OR ON THE OTHER BY ALLOWING EXCESSIVE EXPLOITATION OF THE LOOPHOLE.
MACLEHOSE
LIMITED HK&GD
FED
NEWS D
UND
PS
PS/LPS
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS.
MR DONALD
THIS TELEGRAM
WAS ST
ADVANCED
COFIES TO:-
HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE
LONDON
-2-
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.