TNAG-1264-FCO40-1610-Future-of-Hong-Kong-confidence-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 4

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布政司署

香港下亞畢道

* Our Ref :

SGD 3/13

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31

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CONFIDENTIAL@ey fiduce file (4)

(3) Honest

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Ay Ros

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

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4/1.

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

29th December 1983

W. Morris Esq.,

Hong Kong Department,

Foreign and Commonwealth Office,

London.

Dean Wannick,

Dionby born. Kesten are of your since Your files? to

or on

Emigration from Hong Kong file?

You may be interested to see the enclosed cutting from the SCMP of 29 December. It provides rather more information than our contacts in the Australian and Canadian Commissions and the American Consulate General have been willing or able to provide us with through our official channels! Neverthe- less it shows that the year on year figures show some increase in_migration, although this can be partly explained by factors such as the relaxation of Australian immigration criteria.

2. The report also refers to the statistics on the net gain of movement in and out of Hong Kong. We do not place much reliance on these figures which can be explained as much by the effects of the recession and which include people who leave Hong Kong with the intention of returning.

3. The report also draws a wrong conclusion on emigration to the U.K. As you know, no applications for registration as British Citizens from Civil Servants under Section 4(5) of the BNA have been approved to date.

4.

On the basis of collateral from other sources, the figures relating to departure for the Dominican Republic are probably fairly accurate. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that they have been deliberately exaggerated in order to encourage would be investors.

Enb

HKK 040/21.

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

4 JAN 1984

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Happy New Yeau You

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Autarhang

A.L. Lang

for Secretary (General Duties)

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