2-SEP 1983
HKK 243
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
REGISTRY
PA
Action Taken
GR 400
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 02064OZ SEP 83
TO PRIORITY CG NEW YORK
TELEGRAM NUMBER 30 OF 2 SEPTEMBER
TOP COPY
PA (VR restlement). Тала
MINFO PRYORITY WASHINGTON, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
FOR DORWARD FROM LEEKS.
YOUR TELEGRAM OF 1 SEPTEMBER REF NY/SB/2: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.
YOU ARE CORRECT IN YOUR VIEW THAT THE US STATE DEPARTMENT'S
DECHISHON NOT TO PROCESS PRIORITY 6 CASES HIS AN IMPORTANT KEY
TO THE SHIZE OF HONG KONG'S VR HARDCORE. WHT HIS OF COURSE A
DECHISHON 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, HT MAY WELL HELP FOR
YOU TO SEE SHOESMITH TO REITERATE THIS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF HONG
KONG'S VR PROBLEMS.
WE SUGGEST THAT THE BEST LINE 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 FIN 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 DECHISHON 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 COMINCHIDENCE 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 INTO THIS CATEGORY, AND THE CURRENT RELAXATION OF US
CRITERIA WILL ONLY PUCK 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 RELMEVE US NOW OF A SUBSTANT-HAL
PART OF OUR VR HARD CORE PROBLEM.
4. HF 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 ON 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 DETA-IN ALL NEW ARRIVALS IN CLOSED CENTRES,
A DETERRENT WHICH CURRENT ARRIVAL FIGURES INDICATES (REPEAT MS)
BEGINNING TO DETER.
THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT
129
HADDON-CAVE
MINIMAL
HKD
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVT. OFFICE, LONDON
CONFIDENTIAL