NOTE ON A MEETING OF ASIA COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH REFUGEE COUNCIL HELD ON 6 JUNE, 1985
REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
Lord Ennals reported on his meeting with Mr. Poul Hartling, UNHCR High Commissioner, on the previous day. At Mr. Hartling's instigation, he said that BRC, apart from pressing the family reunion cases already mentioned, should pursue point 5 (111) of the SCORRI recommendations on VRs in Hong Kong, 1.e. as part of a burden-sharing agreement, Britain should accept a small share of those who are hard to resettle and have spent years in camp. A figure of 1,000 has been suggested. It was agreed therefore that the voluntary agencies involved should be con- sulted with a view to drawing up a plan for reception arrangements, cost and manpower requirements, before taking this further with the Home Office.
The point was raised as to whether Vietnamese Refugees should only be accepted from Hong Kong. While accepting that the majority is likely to come from Hong Kong, the meeting also felt that consideration should be given to accepting VRs who met the same criteria, e.g. family reunion, from other first asylum countries.
It was pointed out that there is a statutory requirement for the Government to reply to a Select Committee Report within eight weeks and, therefore, it is likely a debate on SCORRI's recommendations will take place in early July.
The meeting also agreed that a further BRC deputation should call on Mr. Richard Luce, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth office, to press the various points about Hong Kong raised in the latest issue of "Behind Barbed Wire", before the official Government response to the SCORRI Report is made.
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