TNAG-2605-FCO40-3793-Detention-of-Hong-Kong-residents-in-China-1992 — Page 66

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6.6.

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Mr.

Mr

SCR 1/3571/89'B'

Mr Morais 2917

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You requested details of the cases of two female

Political Asylum (PA) applicants,

2.

and

following appeals made by Amnesty International on their behalf. Both have had their original rejections reviewed, and both were scheduled to be repatriated to China on 21 July 1992. This has now had to be postponed, because of a legal challenge.

Both females entered Hong Kong illegally on 15 December 1991, assisted by a smuggling syndicate. They were arrested by Police on 20 December 1991 and detained by Immigration Department. LIN Lin was a student and computer programmer, and LIU Yi-jun was the editor of the Redao Shijie Magazine and then a Vice Manager of a trading company in Shenzhen. Both females' cases were tabled at a PA Ad Hoc Committee meeting on 3 January 1992, when it was decided to reject their PA applications. The reasons for this decision were:

(a)

HKD 07/5/1.

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LIN Lin had played only a minor role in pro-democracy activities in 1989, and had not been subjected to investigation or punishment. continued, after 1989, to be employed.

(b) LIU Yi-jun had played a fairly active role in 1989,

but she had been fully investigated by the PSB and released. She had apparently no fear of further political persecution.

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Their cases were reviewed by the Ad Hoc Committee in April 1992, when they appealed the earlier decision. In the case of LIU's appeal she concocted a rather strange story of receiving a warning letter whilst in detention in Hong Kong, suggesting that her name had appeared on a Chinese watch list. The fact that she could not provide the letter coupled with the rather irrational story line convinced the Committee that there existed no grounds to change their original decision. LIN did not appeal, however, her case was reviewed together with LIU's.

4.

There is nothing added by the various approaches we have received on their behalf from Amnesty and English PEN that suggests our decision should be reversed. Their cases have been rejected by the UNHCR, the French Consulate-General, Canada and the United States.

5.

Their cases have dragged on because both females were required as witnesses in the prosecution of the syndicate that had extricated them from China.

G F. 82

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