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146
Ps
HIR 243/2
RECUVEO IN DEMAZAY NO. 51 13 MAY 1981
PM/81/26
PRIME MINSTER
INDEX
1.
DESK OFFICER
PA
213.5
REGISTRY
Action Taken
لنكه
datis عسكر
MM
Ps/Mr Blaker Mr Donald
HKGD MVD
UND
sured telequich
fax 13/5 Hay kaya at an
Vietnamese Refugees
Nin
>
the buys imwrother
25.
In my minute of 4 March, I said that when I had
visited Hong Kong I would give you and our other colleagues my views on the need for a commitment, over and above our 1979 Geneva Conference commitment, to accept Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong into the United Kingdom.
2.
See(47
As regards refugees rescued by British shipping, I agree with John Biffen and Willie Whitelaw (their minutes
of 20 and 27 March respectively) that the right course is to continue our present case by case policy. As John Biffen pointed out, British ship-owners would be in a very difficult position if we changed our present policy of issuing re-
settlement guarantees as a last resort. And the total number of refugees which we have accepted over the past two years following rescues by British vessels has not been as great
as many feared at the outset.
3.
Our agreement that the present quota of 10,000 refugees should be met in its entirety from Hong Kong (which was recorded in your Private Secretary's letter of 11 March) has been a great help to Hong Kong. The Governor was in London at the time, and had expressed anxiety about the way in which the outflow of refugees from Hong Kong to receiving countries should be maintained. Nevertheless there remain in Hong Kong some 17,000 refugees awaiting resettlement. Of our own quota there are only about 1,000 yet to come to the United Kingdom. The receiving countries
/are
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CONFIDENTIAL