CONFIDENTIAL
Notes of a meeting held at Government House
on 2nd November, 1979
Present:- HE,' Mr. P.J. Woodfield, CB, CBE (Home Office), SHA, S for S,
PA, D of I, DS(S)R
Vietnamese Refugees
HE thanked Mr. Woodfield for visiting Hong Kong. He said that in the past when attempting to encourage other countries to take more refugees from HK, they had pointedly asked about UK's contribution. USA and Canada authorities had been particularly blunt. He asked therefore that the future monthly UK off-take should be as high as possible. At the outset he had asked that it should be as high as possible with a general average of about 500 per month. October's figure had been 1,046, but September's had been very low (180). Hong Kong needed a total monthly off-take of at least 4,000 over the next few months, and of this the UK figure was an important element. HE asked that the UK off-take for November, December and January should be 1,000 a month.
2.
Mr. Woodfield said that his presence in Hong Kong emphasized TKG's awareness of the refugee problem. Reception centres in UK hed a capacity of 3,500+ but his department had identified other areas where this capacity could be increased if necessary. However, no funde to do this were available and there were also some local political difficulties. The Home Office was concentrating on creating an orderly outflow from the existing reception areas as it was generally agreed for the success of the programme that resettlement process should be smooth and unobtrusive. A committee had been set up under Sir Arthur Peterson to coordinate resettlement activities of the Government and voluntary agencies. This had only recently met for the first time and it was too early to expect results.
3.
Mr. Woodfield said that present indications led him to believe that there would be sufficient places in UK to enable more than 500 refugees to leave HK each month in November and December. The off-take might be as high as 700 but, although he was sympathetic to Hong Kong's needs he would not like to be held to a higher figure. The Home Secretary's views are:-
(1) that the sooner the quota of refugees arrives in UK the better;
(2) that no empty spaces should exist in reception areas; and
(3) that no vacancies should be left unfilled because not enough
refugees had been selected in Hong Kong.
As far as 1980 was concerned, the position was more problematic and he could not forecast figures for the monthly off-take. He said he would re-examine the position on his retura to UK.
CONFIDENTIAL