GRS 900
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 101220Z NOVEMBER 81
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1013 OF 10 NOVEMBER
нке 341/3
DESK
INDEX
NO
༩༨༤ ༡:༥༢༠
PA
Cae
INFO PRIORITY PEKING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT QEE ICE LONDON.
LEGAL IMMIGRATION
11/10
•
BAGISTRY
[Antios. Taken
1. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS NOW UNDER REASONABLE CONTROL, BUT THE CHINESE PROVIDE ABOUT 55,000 PEOPLE A YEAR WITH PERMITS AND THESE ARE ALLOWED TO ENTER.
2. THESE LEGAL EMIGRANTS HAVE EITHER ONE-WAY OR TWO-WAY CHINESE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES. THE FORMER ARE FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT: THE LATTER ARE NOMINALLY VISITORS AND THE LENGTH OF VISIT IS NORMALLY STATED ON THE PERMIT AND VARIES FROM A MONTH TO A YEAR. HITHERTO WE HAVE ISSUED IDENTITY CARDS TO BOTH CATEGORIES AND ACCEPTED THEM AS RESIDENTS. THIS WAS BECAUSE OF THE PRIORITY ATTACHED TO COMBATTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND TO
THE DIFFICULTY OF ROUNDING UP HOLDERS OF TWO-WAY PERMITS. BUT WE CONSIDER THE TIME HAS NOW COME TO TRY AND REDUCE THIS ''LEGAL'' FLOW.
3. WE ARE RELUCTANT TO RAISE QUESTIONS OF PRINCIPLE BY UNILATERALLY RESTRICTING ENTRY.
4. BUT WE COULD CUT DOWN OUR LIABILITY BY ONLY ISSUING IDENTITY CARDS (WITHOUT WHICH EMPLOYMENT IS ILLEGAL) TO HOLDERS OF ONE-WAY PERMITS, AND WITHHOLDING THEM FROM TWO-WAY PERMIT HOLDERS: AND BY SENDING BACK THOSE OF THE LATTER WHO DO NOT RETURN AT THE END OF THEIR PERMITTED STAY.
5. THIS WOULD OF COURSE REQUIRE THE COOPERATION OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, BUT IT WOULD BE HARD FOR THEM TO ARGUE AGAINST ENFORCEMENT OF THE TERMS OF THEIR OWN PERMITS. THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF FIRM INDICATIONS THEY WOULD AGREE TO OUR RETURNING OVERSTAYERS, THOUGH RECENTLY ATTITUDES HAVE BEEN EQUIVOCAL.
CONFIDENTIAL
16.
FOR
See 16
4
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.