TNAG-1196-FCO40-1498-Illegal-immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 10

CONFIDENTIAL

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Proposal

6.

In the circumstances, HKG is looking for other means of reducing the illegal immigration of children and stamping out the activities of the racketeers, having regard to the fact that

a)

the parents themselves left their children

behind in China in the first place;

b)

there already exists arrangements whereby parents may visit their children in China;

c)

there are shortly likely to be improved

procedures for children in China to visit their parents in Hong Kong, and

there also exist legal channels for children

d)

to join their parents in Hong Kong permanently.

Reports from the District Offices are to the effect that the public would welcome tougher measures to curb the illegal immigration

of children.

7.

The simplest, and by far the most effective, answer would

be to repatriate all illegal immigrant children regardless of their age.

To do so in respect of children under the age of 14

who have surfaced after entering Hong Kong, would probably involve separating children from the parents they have just rejoined. While public opinion in Hong Kong would probably not be opposed

to such a separation, it is not proposed to adopt it on humanitarian

grounds, at least for the time being.

8.

Instead, we propose to let it be known informally that in

future the family (i.e. parents, brothers and sisters) of an

illegal immigrant under the age of 14 surfacing in Hong Kong, will

be returned to China. After a suitable lapse of time, the

Director of Immigration would then choose two or three particularly

undeserving cases and repatriate the families concerned. The

CONFIDENTIAL