TNAG-2281-FCO40-3281-Illegal-immigration-into-Hong-Kong-from-China-and-Taiwan-1991 — Page 18

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr MOTAS

59

Mr Stone. 023341

Whuse?

MDLIAN 5592

HKD

344/1

2013

TOP COPY Q DIST?

20.

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 3161

OF 090915Z OCTOBER 91

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

!

Nominals

ISSUE OF HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS TO ONE-WAY PERMIT HOLDERS WHO

HAVE PREVIOUSLY HELD CHINESE DIPLOMATIC OR SERVICE PASSPORTS.

1 DURING MY MEETING WITH LU PING ON 4 SEPTEMBER (HONG KONG

TELNO 2781) HE ASKED US TO CONSIDER DROPPING OUR REQUIREMENT THAT

-CHINESE ONE-WAY PERMIT HOLDERS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY HELD

DIPLOMATIC OR SERVICE PASSPORTS SHOULD PROVIDE PROOF THAT THEY

HAVE GIVEN UP THESE PASSPORTS AND WOULD NOT BE GRANTED THEM AGAIN IN FUTURE, BEFORE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT PROVIDE THEM WITH HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.

2. WE HAVE LOOKED INTO THIS QUESTION. OUR POLICY HAS BEEN THAT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HELD CHINESE DIPLOMATIC OR SERVICE PASSPORTS OR ORDINARY PASSPORTS FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES, THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION HAS INDEED REQUIRED PROOF THAT THEY HAVE RELINQUISHED THESE TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND ARE UNABLE TO OBTAIN THEM AGAIN. WITHOUT SUCH PROOF, HONG KONG DOCUMENTS OF IDENTITY OR CERTIFICATES OF IDENTITY HAVE NOT BEEN ISSUED EARLIER THAN 7 YEARS FROM THE DATE AN APPLICANT LAST TRAVELLED ON HIS CHINESE PASSPORT.

3. OUR POLICY WAS FORMULATED TO PROTECT THE CREDIBILITY OF HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, PARTICULARLY IN THE EYES OF NON-COMMUNIST GOVERNMENTS IN THE REGION. HOWEVER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS HAVE LARGELY REMOVED

THESE CONCERNS. THE EXISTING POLICY IN FACT GIVES THE PRC

AUTHORITIES A POTENTIAL SAY OVER WHO MAY OR MAY NOT OBTAIN HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, SINCE WE HAVE HITHERTO ASKED THEM TO ISSUE CERTIFICATION THAT AN APPLICANT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN A

CHINESE PASSPORT IN THE FUTURE. CONTRARY TO WHAT LU PING SAID TO ME, SOME CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAVE IN FACT BEEN PREPARED TO PROVIDE SUCH CERTIFICATION. WE HAVE THEREFORE NOW CONCLUDED, BOTH FOR SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION PURPOSES, THAT IT IS ADEQUATE FOR ONE-WAY PERMIT HOLDERS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY HELD DIPLOMATIC OR SERVICE PASSPORTS OR ORDINARY PASSPORTS FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES TO DECLARE FORMALLY THAT THEY HAVE SURRENDERED THESE TRAVEL

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL