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G Angel Esq Home Office
Queen Anne's Gate
LONDON SW1
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
HIIZ 24312
RECEIVED IN PESTRY P. 51
1 - JUN 1981
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
London SW1A 2AH
REGISTRY2 Action Tave
May 1981
52
Dear Angel,
PA
No
лас
1 90006
See 55
See. Свон
SELECTION OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FOR SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
1.
When I was in Hong Kong recently I was told that it had now been agreed that the Hong Kong Government would select Vietnamese refugees for settlement in this country. There was, however, considerable disappointment, which I share, at the very limited criteria which are to be applied.
2. The Hong Kong Government had understood that they were to make selections on the same criteria as had been used previously by the Home Office Selection Teams, thus avoiding the need to send such teams to Hong Kong again. They have now been told that selections are to be confined to family reunion cases only.
3.
About 500 places from the UK quota of 10,000 remain unfilled. But the Hong Kong Government think they will only be able to find about 20 on the basis of family reunion. This is because most such refugees have already come here and most of the new arrivals in Hong Kong are ethnic Vietnamese, with few, if any, family connections
overseas.
4.
This will leave 480 places which are unlikely to be filled. It will also mean that the UK programme of resettlement would come to a visible halt. This, as you know, we are most anxious to avoid since we know the Americans are likely to take our performance into account' when deciding their own off-take from Hong Kong.
5. I hope you can agree to reconsider this position. I am sure that the Hong Kong Government would be able to cooperate in applying the criteria for selection which you have laid down across the board and would of course discuss any borderline cases with you. Such an arrange- ment would seem to me to be in everyone's interests.
п
tice
Aich cipt
R D Clift
Во
noted
3 weeks
Mas
Hong Kong and General Department
뇨
ill
cc:
Mr Burns SEAD
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