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Frowane Litignon and infor
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ISO, MM
J H Malloll Eng .. Migration and Visa Department
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260
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Mo Featruly - Pl copy tokios 76 477 to
CHKK 245/1
Foreign and Commonwealth Office HKK
Clive House
Petty France
LONDON SW1
Dear Jack,
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO 51
2 FEB 1979
DANK OF TER
INDEX
No
THE
PA
REC.
Action
on
2012
x
do. PROGRAMME
Your reference
Our reference
Date
SELECTION
IMG/77 72/1313/16
24 January 1979
J00 245/3341.
When we spoke last week I said that as soon as my trip to the Far East was approved I would write to you setting out my preliminary thoughts on how the selection of the 1,500 refugees in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand might best be carried out. As you know, we now have authority to press ahead with final arrangements, and I shall be accompanied throughout by Mrs N V Morley-Fletcher, MBE, General Secretary of the British Council for Aid to Refugees, who will act in an advisory capacity.
Since our time in each of the three territories will be limited it would be most
clpful if you could 'eek Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to assemble. An randiness for our arrival, as much documentary detail as possible (including medical reports) on a total of refugees to twice the number we shall eventually be taking (i.e. 2,000 in Hong Kong and 500 each in Malaysia and Thailand - these figures, of course, represent individuals and not cases). I presume that liaison with local UNHCR representatives will be necessary and that posts will best know how to handle this side of the operation. As a general guide, we are looking for people who might fit the following criteria :-
1.
2.
3.
Those with some knowledge of English.
Those with skills which might improve employment prospects in the U.K.
Those who have either already expressed a wish to settle in the U.K., or whose desire to do so is genuine (this to avoid our taking those who, once here, might change their minds and seek to go elsewhere).
4. Complete family groups or single females.
5.
Not too many chronic sick or unaccompanied elderly.
Our aim is to select those who are likely to benefit most from resettlement in the United Kingdom and I quite accept that when considering individual cases these criteria may overlap or even conflict with each other.
If a bundle of likely cases could thus be gathered in time for our arrival I would then hope to do a preliminary sift on the basis of the papers alone from which, hopefully, a number could be selected without further ado. Of the remainder, we would hope to interview heads of families in order to end up with two lists:
List A boing those definitely to be accepted and List B to form a reserve list should any of those originally selected nubriequently opt out or receive and accept offern of renott Lemont elnowhero. I would hope to compile Lint B in nome sort of order of priority.
1.