TNAG-1264-FCO40-1610-Future-of-Hong-Kong-confidence-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 6

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FM HONG KONG 060345Z DEC 33

TO INMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1867 OF 6 DECEMBER 1963

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

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HKK04021

MR. CLIFT'S TELELETTER 040/11 OF 23 NOVEMBER RECEIVED IN NU. DIRE

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: CONFIDENCE

THE FOLLOWING IS THE ASSESSMENT REQUESTED.

LL1983

kui

41 CM13/12

2. FOLLOWING THE MEASURES TO TAKE OVER THE HANG LUNG BANK AND TO

STABILIZE THE EXCHANGE RATE OF THE HONG KONG DOLLAR, THE TONING

DOWN OF CHINESE PROPAGANDA AND THE MORE HELPFUL COMMUNGTUES

WHICH FOLLOWED THE FIFTH AND SIXTH ROUND OF TALKS, THE ATMOSPHERE

HAS BECOME CALMER. THE PUBLIC TOOK THE OFFICIAL CHINESE ANNOUNCE-

MENT OF A SEPTEMBER 1984 DEADLINE IN ITS STRIDE (AND POSSIBLY WITH

A GRAIN OF SALT) AND WAS NOT UNDULY WORRIED BY THE OCCASIONAL

REMINDERS IN THE LEFT WING PRESS. HOWEVER, DEEP SEATED ANXIETIES

REMAIN CLOSE TO THE SURFACE AS DOES WIDESPREAD SCEPTICISM ABOUT

THE CHINESE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. THIS IS COUPLED WITH A SENSE OF

RELUCTANT RESIGNATION TO A CHINESE TAKE-OVER.

3. MIGRATION

THOSE WHO ARE IN A POSITION TO GO ARE CONTINUING TO EXPLORE

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMIGRATION OVERSEAS, PARTICULARLY TO THE USA,

CANADA AND AUSTRALIA. THERE ARE MANY CIVIL SERVANTS IN THIS

CATEGORY. ALTHOUGH ENQUIRIES ABOUT EMIGRATION TO THESE THREE

COUNTRIES HAVE SHOWN AN UPTURN IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, THEY

DID NOT REACH THE LEVELS OF A YEAR AGO. FOR AUSTRALIA APPLIC-

ATIONS ARE AVERAGING 340 THIS YEAR COMPARED WITH 180 IN 1982.

FOR USA, AUSTRALIA AND CANADA VISAS GRANTED REMAINED CONSTANT

AT ABOUT 4,000 A QUARTER (REFLECTING THE RESTRICTED QUOTAS).

4. SOME COUNTRIES CONTINUE TO OFFER RESIDENCE VISAS TO THOSE

WITH MONEY TO INVEST. OTHERS APPEAR POPULAR PLACES FROM WHICH TO GET PASSPORTS OF CONVENIENCE. WE HAVE NO RELIABLE FIGURES OF ACTUAL DEPARTURES FOR THESE PLACES. INTERESTINGLY THERE WERE ONLY 3,400 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FOR CERTIFICATES OF NO CRIMINAL CONVICTION TO SUPPORT VISA REQUESTS FOR THE LAST 5 MONTHS COMPARED WITH 9,600 FOR THE SAME PERIOD IN 1982: 3UT THE

2,100 REQUESTS IN OCTOBER SHOWED A MARKED UPTURN.

See tik K040/23

1984 (4)

5. DESPITE THESE STATISTICS THERE IS MUCH TALKS OF EMIGRATION ESPECIALLY AMONGST PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE. THAT IS TO SAY, THE VARIOUS OPTIONS INVOLVING SENDING CHILDREN OVERSEAS FOR EDUCATION, JOINING RELATIVES ALREADY IN OVERSEAS COUNTRIES ETC., ARE EXAMINED AND DISCUSSED IN GREAT DEPTH.

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