NEW arrivals escaping from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong state that the Peking Communist regime has passed further measures to try and destroy the last remnants of religious influence on young people. Ellorts arc also being made to weaken the power of family tics to interfere with labour mobility.
Names of all candidates for baptism must now be filed at the Office of Religious Affairs for checking against lists of coupter-revolutionartes. If the candidate's name is not rejected. the pastor must assure his good conduct after baptism. As one priest-refugee put it: "Nu one can guarantee that he himself will not be breaking some new law of the Chinese Communists tomorrow. let alone anyone else. The result is that pastors are now often very reluctant to give baptism to anybody. A second regulation states that parents must not allow their children to bc influenced by religious activities until they arc 18. To implement this measure. authorities have "hinted" that the few remaining Sunday school classes must close.
Meanwhile. Peking is working hard on the development of the Sinkiang territory an area on the .Russian border characterised by deserts and mountain ranges. Most of its people are Moslems, but Peking has been sending more and more Chinese from the east to displace them. Shanghai newspapers are born herding the people with propaganda to weaken the influence of family ties, which arc the greatest barrier to labour mobility among youth. Meanwhile. huedreds of people a month are escaping from Sinkiang into the US5R. RUSkja maintains that this is bccause of inhonnen condition: there.