CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY HKR DIST ?
22
036244
MDHIAN 6812
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 900
OF 15100OZ MARCH 89
AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
(19)
378
YOUR TELNO 167 AND PEKING TELNO 318 : ECVIIS AND VBPS
THE SPEAKING NOTE SET OUT IN OUR TELNO 549 HAS BEEN UPDATED AND NOW READS AS FOLLOWS :
BEGINS
2.
ECVII :
(14)
(A) THERE WERE MORE THAN 900 ECVII ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG DURING 1988 OF WHICH OVER 600 ARRIVED DURING DECEMBER. ABOUT 800 OF THESE PEOPLE ARE ACCOMMODATED IN OVERCROWDED CONDITIONS AT THE GREEN ISLAND RECEPTION CENTRE. THIS HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO PROCESS THE SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF VBP ARRIVALS AND WE ARE ANXIOUS TO ARRANGE THE EARLY RETURN OF THE ECVIIS. GRATEFUL FOR THE PROMPT VERIFICATION OF THE FIRST GROUP OF 373 AS THESE PEOPLE ARE NOW CLEARED FOR RETURN. HOPE CHINESE AUTHORITIES CAN MAKE THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RETURN OF THIS GROUP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE SUGGESTED TWO DATES BEFORE THE END OF MARCH AND WE HOPE THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FIND THESE ACCEPTABLE.
(B) RECALL THAT A BATCH OF 88 ECVIIS WHO HAD BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR A LONG PERIOD WERE REPATRIATED ON 17 JANUARY. HOWEVER, THERE WERE 22 OTHER NAMES FROM FANG CHENG IN QUANGXI WHICH WERE SUBMITTED TOGETHER WITH THIS BATCH BUT WERE REJECTED BY THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES ON THE GROUNDS THAT THESE PEOPLE HAD NOT SETTLED IN CHINA. SOME OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE IN FACT BEEN LIVING IN CHINA SINCE 1980 AND ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER REPATRIATED ECVIIS. WE HAVE MADE CLEAR TO NCNA OUR VIEW THAT THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA ON THE RETURN OF ECVIIS COVERS SUCH PEOPLE. NCNA ARE PASSING THIS ON TO GUANGXI.
(C) WE UNDERSTAND THAT A TEAM OF OFFICIALS FROM PEKING RECENTLY VISITED GUANGXI TO DISCUSS THE ECVII ISSUE. WE SHOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THE RESULTS. WE REMAIN READY TO SEND HONG KONG OFFICIALS TO NANNING TO WORK WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES IF THIS WOULD BE USEFUL.
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