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Possible Repercussions in Hong Kong if the UK accepted a further quota of refugees from Hong Kong
1.
}
It has been suggested that there might be adverse repercussions
among
British Dependent Territory Citizens in Hong Kong if more Vietnamese refugees were accepted for settlement in the UK, in the sense that these BDTCs would press for similar rights of admission. I do not think there is any evidence to support this.The Hong Kong Government, which would of course strongly favour a new initiative by HMG over resettlement, have never brought this to our attention
BDTCs as an inhibiting factor.
are wel
aware that they do not
right of abode in the UK. The Hong Kong agreement makes no difference to their position in this respect. However it fully protects their right to reside in Hong Kong. It must be said that the presence in Hong Kong of the Vietnamese refugees is a cause of
resentment among the local population:
s ome
i)
ii)
i)
land & other
rescurces.
have
because of the drain on revenue which could otherwise be used
for their own benefit;
because (with regard to those in open camps) of the impact of Vietnamese on the local labour market)†-–-
because of the contrast between the reception of refugees from Vietnam and the necessary policy of repatriation of illegal immigrants from China, many of whom may have been seeking to
join relatives in Hong Kong.
Moreover I think it is indisputable that the lack of a UK quota for refugees from Hong Kong severely limits our ability to help solve
failure a the problem and is viewed critically in Hong Kong as
to
The
carry out our responsibilities towards a dependent territory. local population shares our hope for an early resolution of the problem of refugees and would we l'ome any action taken by HMG and other resettlement countries to alleviate the problem.
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