pa (Repotriation).
15
From The Minister of State
Sear Keith.
MKK 243/5
RECEIVED IN REGIS
2 2 FEE 1983
DESK OFFICE INDEX
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
$1
CH2412
No action
at present.
22/
15 February 1983
c.c. Th Smith WRED
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Thank you for your letter of 1 February about Vietnamese Tefugees in Hong Kong.
I quite understand your concern about any possibility of compelling refugees from Vietnam to return there against their will, and I can assure you that there will be no question of compulsory repatriation of refugees in the foreseeable future.
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At the same time I have to have a great deal of sympathy with the government of Hong Kong which still faces the daunting task of landing and accommodating the substantial stream of boat- people who continue to set out from the coast of Vietnam. know, the possibilities of finding places to "resettle these refugees are diminishing, yet the next couple of years may well see a similar volume of arrivals in Hong Kong 7 or 8,000 in 1981 and 1982. As well as working with the international agencies and lobbying where we can to improve the chances of re- settlement, we and other Western governments continue therefore to impress upon the Vietnamese authorities the importance of increasing the numbers granted exit visas under the Orderly Depar- ture Programme and of doing what they can to discourage people from setting out on their own in boats. But while the total number of boat-people in the area as a whole declined last year by about 40%, the numbers reaching Hong Kong remained steady at 7,800, and we should all be grateful for the continuing contribu- tion the authorities there have been making to this major humani- tarian problem despite the strong existing pressures on their own immigration policy and the severely crowded conditions of the territory.
24311
Yours sincerely
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Actio Taken
(BELSTEAD)
Keith Best Esq MP House of Commons London SW1A OAA