CONFIDENTIAL
-3-
The Hong Kong Government would prefer us to give a blanket
guarantee of resettlement for all those rescued by British ships.
But this is impossible.
THE THREE VIETNAMESE BOYS
8.
These boys were taken to Hong Kong unwittingly when the boat
they were sleeping in was hijacked. Since their parents were still
in Vietnam, UNHCR, in accordance with their policy or reuniting
families wherever possible, decided to seek the Vietnamese Govern-
ment's agreement to take them back. When it became clear, however,
that the boys did not want to go home, it was agreed that they could
come to the UK where they will be looked after by the Scotswoman
who has cared for them in Hong Kong.
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT'S ROLE
9. The United States has taken by far the largest number of
Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong and South-East Asia. The
50,000th from Hong Kong will be accepted in the near future.
FAMILY REUNIONS
10. Many of the Vietnamese refugees already settled in the UK
have families still in Vietnam and elsewhere in South-East Asia.
If their immediate family wish to join them in the UK, the Home
Office considers each case on its merits, as it will any cases
of other particularly close links to the United Kingdom.
HONG KONG'S ROLE
11.
More than 100,000 Vietnamese refugees have landed in Hong
Kong. From the outset Hong Kong accepted them all, provided them
with food, clothing, shelter and the chance to work. Before the
1979 crisis, the Hong Kong Government arranged flights from
Vietname to Hong Kong for more than 4,000 relatives of Vietnamese
CONFIDENTIAL
/there