49
GR 400
Mr. W. Mange
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You will have seen
pano
6. wh
RESTRICTED
FM PEKING 043935Z DEC 81
TO ROUTINE FCO
RESTRICTED 12.
TELEGRAM NUMBER 729 OF 4 DECEMBER
AND TO ROUTINE GOVERNOR HONG KONG
ние
345/4
FIT TO
COPY
DESK
INDEX
YOUR TELMO 4901 HONG KONG TRANSIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHINESE
PASSPORT HOLDERS.
1. ON 4 DECEMBER I CALLED ON LIU QING YOU OF CONSULAR DEPARTMENT
AND PRESENTED OUR AGREED TEXT OF THE DRAFT UNDERSTANDING CONTAINED
IN HONG KONG TELNO 1840 BUT WITH AN AMENDED EFFECTIVE DATE OF
1 JANUARY 1982.
2. LIU SAID THAT REFERENCE IN THE CHINESE DRAFT TO THE CONTINUA-
TION OF DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING THE LOCATIONS AT WHICH TRANSIT
VISAS WOULD BE ISSUED HAD BEEN OMITTED FROM OUR DRAFT (LAST TWO SENTENCES OF PARA 2 OF THE CHINECE DRAFT -OUR TELNO 640).
(42
See so HKK345/3R
I TOLD LIU THAT OUR DRAFT UNDERSTANDING IS AIMED AT COVERING
LENGTH OF STAY IN HONG KONG AND THAT IF THE CHINESE WISHED TO
RAISE THE QUESTION OF LOCATIONS AT WHICH VISAS COULD BE ISSUED, THIS
COULD BE THE SUBJECT OF SEPARATE TALKS. LIU DID NOT COMMENT BUT
AGREED TO STUDY OUR DRAFT AND LET US HAVE A RESPONSE SOON.
3. THE CHINESE WILL PROBABLY PRESS FOR THE INCLUSION OF SOME FORM OF WORDING REGARDING THE CONTINUATION OF DISCUSSIONS ON THE LOCATION AT WHICH VISAS SHOULD BE ISSUED. UNLESS HONG KONG HAVE
STRONG OBJECTIONS I CONSIDER THAT WE SHOULD AGREE TO THIS AND
THAT THE WORDING OF THE ORIGINAL CHINESE DRAFT COULD BE USED.
4. DELAYS IN VISA ISSUING LIU ALSO CLAIMED THAT SOME OF OUR
EMBASSIES AND HIGH COMMISSIONS WERE TAKING 7-10 WEEKS TO ISSUE HONG
KONG TRANSIT VISAS TO OVERSEAS CHINESE. THIS CAUSED DIFFICUASIES
FOR OVERSEAS CHINESE WHOSE VISAS WERE VALID FOR ONLY 2 OR 3
MONTHS. IN SOME CASES THEIR CHINESE ENTRY VISA HAD EXPIRED BEFORE THEY RECEIVED THEIR HONG KONG TRANSIT VISAS. GRATEFUL FOR HONG KONG'S COMMENTS.
5. MALTREATMENT: LIU RETURNED ONCE AGAIN TO THE SUBJECT OF ALLEGED **MALTREATMENT OF PRIVATE PRC CITIZENS TRANSITING HONG KONG AND ''DISCRIMINATION'' AGAINST PRC CITIZENS. HE READ EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER OF COMPLAINT RECEIVED FROM AN OVERSEAS CHINESE RESIDENT IN AUSTRALIA WHO, AMONGST OTHER THINGS, CLAIMED THAT HIS DAUGHTER HAD BEEN ASKED BY A HONG KONG IMMIGRATION OFFICER TO TAKE OFF ALL HER CLOTHES''. LIU THEN WENT ON AT SOME LENGTH ABOUT ''INHUMAN TREATMENT'' RECEIVED BY CHINESE TRANSITING HONG KONG AND THAT HE RECEIVED MANY SUCH LETTERS OF COMPLAINT. (LETTER AND TRANSLATION GIVING FULL DETAILS FOLLOWS BY BAG). I REPLIED THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES WOULD BE ASKED
RESTRICTED
/TO INVESTIGATE
19782
RESTRICTED
TO INVESTGATE THIS CASE BUT THAT IT WAS NOT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TO MALTREAT ANYONE, NOR TO
''DISCRIMINATE'' AGAINST CHINESE CITIZENS. ALL CASES BROUGHT TO
OUR ATTENTION WOULD BE SERIOUSLY INVESTIGATED. BUT WE COULD ONLY
INVESTIGATE SPECIFIC CASES.
6. AS THE CHINESE MAY WELL RAISE THE QUESTION OF VISA ISSUING
IN PEKING AND ALLEGED MALTREATMENT DURING THE LPS' VISIT I
SUGGEST THAT DEFENSIVE BRIEFING ON THESE SUBJECTS SHOULD BE
PREPARED.
ATKINSON
THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED]
LIMITED
HKGD
FED
MR DONALD
- 2 -
RESTRICTED
CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Miele
34074
RECENLOS IN RADCRY HO. 31
-
1 DEC1981
RP Margolis
Deputy Political Adviser Government Secretariat HONG KONG
DESK
Telephone 01-2334439
Your reference
Our reference
Date
1 December 1981
11340
HONG KONG TRANSIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHINESE PASSPORT HOLDERS
1.
Before we agreed the text in Hong Kong telegram number 1040 we consulted the departmental Legal Adviser. Tony Rushford produced a completely revised text incorporating your points in the more usual type of note for exchange with a foreign government. He was, however, quite happy with your draft and we decided to stick to it because of your deadline and the fact that it was based on a Chinese draft. We thought that the introduction at this stage of a completely new text might have caused problems with the Chinese.
below
Nevertheless I enclose a copy of the other draft which might be useful for future reference.
2.
50
cc:
R N Peirce Peking
CONFIDENTIAL
P J Williamson
Hong Kong & General Department
اسنان
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