TNAG-2872-FCO40-4126-Hong-Kong-repatriation-of-ex-China-Vietnamese-illegal-immigr-1993 — Page 84

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MDHIAN 2762

PREVIOUSLY SETTLED IN CHINA, AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT MOST OF THE SQUATTER COMMUNITY IN BEIHAI CAME INTO THAT CATEGORY:

· THEY AGREED THAT ECVIIS NOW IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE RETURNED IN BATCHES, IN AN ORDERLY, RAPID AND CONTINUOUS MANNER, STARTING WITH AROUND 100 TO GUANGDONG ON 3 SEPTEMBER:.

WE AGREED TO THEIR REQUEST THAT RETURNS TO GUANGXI AND HAINAN SHOULD BE BY SEA. THOSE TO GUANGDONG, FUJIAN AND YUNNAN WILL BE BY ROAD. HKG WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR COSTS AND ARRANGEMENTS UP TO THE POINT OF ENTRY INTO CHINA. THE CHINESE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE THEREAFTER:

- WE APPOINTED LIAISON OFFICERS (FROM IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT AND SHENZHEN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT) TO CO-ORDINATE THE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS.

MOST OF THIS IS ENSHRINED IN AN INFORMAL MEMORANDUM AGREED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES (COPY FOLLOWS BY FAX TO HKD/FCO AND PEKING: WE AGREED NOT TO MENTION THIS PUBLICLY BUT TO BRIEF THE PRESS ON THE SPECIFIC POINTS AGREED).

4. IT WAS CLEAR FROM XU'S HANDLING OF THE MEETING THAT HE WANTED TO FIND AN AGREED WAY FORWARD, BUT HAD BEEN HAVING DIFFICULTY PERSUADING THE PROVINCES TO ACCEPT ECVIIS BACK TO THE FARMS WHERE THEY HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN SETTLED BEFORE MIGRATING, IN SOME CASES MANY YEARS AGO, TO BEIHAI. AS PREDICTED (ON THE BASIS OF CHINESE BRIEFING) BY THE MEDIA, XU MADE A PITCH FOR HONG KONG TO CONTRIBUTE TO RESETTLEMENT COSTS IN CHINA. HE STRESSED THAT THIS WAS NOT A PRECONDITION, AS IT HAD BEEN IN CHINA'S DEALINGS ON ECVIIS WITH JAPAN AND THE PHILIPPINES: CHINA RECOGNISED THAT HONG KONG WAS A SPECIAL CASE. BUT IT WOULD FACILITATE MORE RAPID RETURNS, SINCE THE PROVINCES WERE FINANCIALLY HARD PRESSED, AND HAD MADE NO PROVISION FOR THIS UNEXPECTED BURDEN. WE SAID THAT THIS WOULD BE HARD TO JUSTIFY TO THE HONG KONG TAXPAYER, THAT HONG KONG HAD ALREADY SPENT LARGE SUMS ON COPING WITH THE INFLUX, AND THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD ALREADY TOLD US THAT THE BEIHAI AUTHORITIES HAD MADE - AND PRESUMABLY PAID FOR - ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THOSE EVICTED FORM THE SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS. (COMMENT: IN FACT, THE BEIHAI AUTHORITIES HAD ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT DONE SO, BUT THIS PROVED TOO EMBARRASSING FOR THE CHINESE TO ADMIT.) IN RETURN FOR OUR AGREEMENT ON SEABORNE RETURNS, XU THEN ACCEPTED THAT WE COULD NOT PAY COSTS BEYOND THE POINT OF ENTRY INTO CHINA.

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