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2 1 SEP 1983
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FM HONG KONG 02064OZ SEP 83
TO PRIORITY CG NEW YORK
TELEGRAM NUMBER 30 OF 2 SEPTEMBER
MANFO PRAORITY WASHINGTON, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
FOR DORWARD FROM LEEKS.
243/2
YOUR TELEGRAM OF 1 SEPTEMBER REF NY/SB/2: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. YOU ARE CORRECT IN YOUR VIEW THAT THE US STATE DEPARTMENT'S DECMIS ON NOT TO PROCESS PRIORITY 6 CASES IS AN IMPORTANT KEY TO THE SHAZE OF HONG KONG'S VR HARDCORE. AT HIS OF COURSE A DECHISHION THAT (TO OUR UNDERSTANDING) EQUALLY AFFECTS US PROCESSING OF REFUGEES THROUGHOUT THE REGION, AND ONE THAT HIS FREQUENTLY THE SUBJECT OF REPRESENTATIONS TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT FROM ELSEWHERE (EG UNHCR). HAVING SAND THIS, AT MAY WELL HELP FOR YOU TO SEE SHOESMATH TO RENTERATE THIS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF HONG
KONG'S VR PROBLEMS.
2. WE SUGGEST THAT THE BEST LANE TO TAKE WITH SHOESMITH ON THE PRIORITY 6 CASES MAY BE TO NOTE THAT:
(A) PRIOR TO SPRING 1982 THE PROCESSING OF THESE PEOPLE BY US AGENCHES IN HONG KONG WAS DELAYED BECAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY GOOD CONDITIONS IN THE OPEN CENTRES WHERE HONG KONG'S VRS WERE
THEN PLACED:
(B) IN APRIL 1982, WHEN THE US DECHSHON NOT TO PROCESS PRIORITY 6 CASES WAS TAKEN, US OFFICIALS HERE WERE GIVEN DISCRETION TO PROCESS THOSE WHO HAD ARRINED BEFORE AUTUMN 1981. BECAUSE OF THE COMANCHIDENCE OF DISTURBANCES IN ONE OF HONG KONG'S OPEN CENTRES THEY CHOSE NOT TO EXERCISE THIS DISCRETION, AND A VALUABLE CHANCE TO RE-EXAMINE MANY OF OUR SO-CALLED RESIDUALS WAS LOST, NEVER APPARENTLY TO RECUR.
3. MANY OF THE 4400 RESH-DUALS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE OVER 2 YEARS FALL TO THIS CATEGORY, AND THE CURRENT RELAXATION OF US CRITERIA WILL ONLY PICK UP SOME OF THEM (MOSTLY THOSE ETHNIC CHINESE, ALMOST ALL OF WHOM CAME HERE 4 YEARS AGO). A RECOGNITION BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT THAT HONG KONG HAS APPARENTLY MISSED THE US BOAT ON THESE RESIDUALS FOR HISTORICAL REASONS NOT OF HONG KONG'S MAKING WOULD HELP TO RELIEVE US NOW OF A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF OUR VR HARD CORE PROBLEM.
4. IF TAXED BY US OFFICIALS ON THE LINES THAT AN INCREASED US OFFTAKE NOW MIGHT ENCOURAGE MORE DEPARTURES FROM VIETNAM, YOU CAN OBSERVE THAT THESE RESIDUALS HAVE BEEN IN OPEN CENTRES FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND NONE ARE EVEN COMPARATIVELY NEW ARRIVALS HERE. REMOVING MORE RESIDUALS FROM THE OLD OPEN CENTRES DOES NOT ERODE OUR DETERRENT POLICY TO DETAIN ALL NEW ARRIVALS IN CLOSED CENTRES, A DETERRENT WHICH CURRENT ARRIVAL FIGURES INDICATE MS (REPEAT IS)
BEGINNING TO DETER.
HADDON-CAVC
MINIMAL
HKD
THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE, LONDON
CONFIDENTIAL