GRS 1000
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
10
CONFIDENTIAL
1'OP COP
нии 02716
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
2 1 OCT 1985
TELNO 2223
OF 1809JJZ OCTOBER 85
INFO PEKING
VISIT OF MR RENTON
DESK
BRIEFING TELEGRAM: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
INDEX
PA
LINE TO TAKE
NEGISTRY
Action Taken
1. AS A RESULT OF THE SCORRI REPORT, HMG HAS BROADENED ITS CRITERIA IN RESPECT OF FAMILY REUNION CASES WITH THE RESULT THAT ABOUT 500 MORE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WILL NOW QUALIFY FOR RESETTLEMENT IN BRITAIN. THEY WILL BE RESETTLED AT THE RATE OF
ABOUT 40 PER MONTH.
2. SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN TO AVOID ATTRACTING A FURTHER EXODUS FROM VIETNAM, THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE USED PUBLICLY ONLY IF PRESSED.
SQUARE BRACKETS END
HMG, HKG AND UNHCR HAVE LAUNCHED A MAJOR EXERCISE TO APPEAL TO ALL POSSIBLE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO BROADEN THEIR CRITERIA AND TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. HMG WILL ALSO CONSIDER ACCEPTING
A FURTHER LIMITED NUMBER FROM HONG KONG.
3. HONG KONG STILL HAS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE BOAT REFUGEES IN SOUTH EAST ASIA (28 PER CENT OF THE REGIONAL TOTAL). HKG MUST CONTINUE WITH THE CLOSED CENTRES AS A DETERRENT. CONDITIONS IN CLOSED CENTRES ARE GENERALLY GOOD. TO MAKE LIFE IN THEM MORE TOLERABLE AND TO PREPARE THE REFUGEES FOR SPEEDIER RESETTLEMENT, HKG IN CONJUNCTION WITH UNHCR AND THE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IS LAUNCHING A FURTHER SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL, VOCATIONAL AND LANGUAGE
TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN THE CLOSED CENTRES.
BACKGROUND
SINCE THEN, ABOUT
4. THE FIRST VR'S REACHED HONG KONG ON 1975. 115,000 HAVE ARRIVED. HONG KONG'S PRESENT VR POPULATION IS ABOUT 10,000 AND HAS BEEN SO SINCE 1982.
5. IN THE FACE OF A CONTINUING HIGH RATE OF ARRIVALS AND OF DIMINISHING RESETTLEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED CLOSED CENTRES AS A DETERRENT IN 1982. AS SINCE THEN ARRIVALS HAVE DECREASED, THE PROBABILITY IS THAT THE DETERRENT HAS
HAD SOME EFFECT.
CONFIDENTIAL
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