CONFIDENTIAL #B
Notes of a discussion held at Government House
at 3.15 p.m. on Monday 22 November 1982
Vietnamese Refugees
Present
HE the Governor S for S PAS(S)R
Mr. William Smyser
Deputy UNHCR
Mr. Jamshid Anvar
Director for Regional Bureau
Mrs. Dolores Lasan
Chargé de Mission
HE welcomed Mr. Smyser back to Hong Kong, and asked for nis impressions from his recent visit to Hanoi. Mr. Smyser confirmed that S for S had explained fully the background to HKG's concern over Vietnamese refugees (i.e. its attitude to immigrants from China). He explained that the purpose of his Far Eastern trip was to obtain a general picture of the continuing S.E. Asian refugee problem. The Vietnamese authorities were determined to promote the ODP in order to reduce illegal departures; these they wished to curtail, but appeared also to recognise that departures would continue by those without the political commitment to face the tough times ahead. The Vietnamese Foreign Minister had made clear to him that Vietnam did not need those who chose to abandon the country during its period of reconstruction, and that once they had left it would not take them back. The UNHCR in Hanoi was also committed to the ODP, now averaging about 1,000 departures per month; the UNHCR had, however, refused to commit itself to a specific quota of departures.
2.
HE explained that Hong Kong appeared to be facing a stark future in terms of continuing illegal arrivals and a falling rate of departures. These two features had caused Hong Kong's refugee population to increase since last April, and the Hong Kong Government, recognising the attraction that Hong Kong would continue to offer to illegal departures from Vietnam, had seen no alternative to the introduction of closed centres last July. The present position was that Vietnamese were continuing
AANBIDENTIA!
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