布政司署
香港下亞厘畢道
CONFIDENTIAL
OUR REF.: SCR 1/2091/85
*YOUR REF.:
DIEU
Spoke Miller MUD
82
examining o'go to Sw Visa Abol Ave it 47! Will GOVERNMENT SECRETARIATIO
LOWER ALBERT ROAD C
HONG KONG
Fa draft tel, cleared with MVD,
pl, to Stockholm
4 July 1985 thes
HKK 040/28
W.G. Ehrman, Esq.,
RECEIVE
HKD, FCO.
15 JUL 1985
EGISTRY
IND
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Store
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Dear hiaram
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POSSIBLE ABOLITION OF VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR HONG KONG BDTCS : SWEDEN
Events
I wrote to you about this on 30 March. have since moved on. Your instructions to Copenhagen to take up our case on visas with the Danish MFA were encouraging. We now have some news on Sweden.
A member of the Swedish Immigration Board, Mrs. Asja Granath, has been on attachment to the Swedish Consulate General in Hong Kong for the past month. Immigration Department and the Security Branch have done her proud and she now has a much better grasp of our needs.
When Mrs. Granath called on Mrs. Regina Ip of our Security Branch on 31 May, Regina and her colleagues were able to put the case for abolition of the Swedish visa requirement. Mrs. Granath gave a first indication that the Swedes would be prepared to review this. Speaking to Alan Carter on 7 June (copy minute attached), Mrs. Granath explained the Nordic decisions on visa require- ments and the general concern in those lands about the growing number of asylum cases. Alan did his utmost to demolish any link between Hong Kong businessmen/tourists and e.g. Tamil asylum seekers. Mrs. Granath acknowledged that Sweden had no problems with Hong Kong visitors. She was aware of the problem that Nordic policy created for us and muttered vague things about multiple journey or group visas. In a subsequent conversation with John Yeung she confirmed that our case for the abolition of visa requirements for Hong Kong BDTCs would be reconsidered.
CONFIDENTIAL
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