CONFIDENTIAL
11059 - 1
PAPER, MAKING THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
(I)
(II)
(III)
(IV)
(V)
WE AND THE HKG ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR RECENT EFFORTS
TO HELP HONG KONG: KNOW YOU HAVE SENT THREE RESETTLEMENT
MISSIONS TO THE TERRITORY IN RECENT YEARS.
AS YOU ARE AWARE, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR US TO
INCREASE OUR OWN OFFTAKE OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG IN
RECENT YEARS, DESPITE OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
TERRITORY: INTEGRATION OF THE 19,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
WHO HAVE ALREADY SETTLED IN THE UK HAS PROVED DIFFICULT.
WE ARE HOWEVER AWARE THAT THE UK'S LOW LEVEL OF
RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG HAS IN RECENT YEARS MADE
OTHER COUNTRIES RELUCTANT TO DO MORE TO HELP.
IN RESPONSE TO SCORRI'S RECOMMENDATION, HMG HAVE DECIDED
TO ACCEPT FOR RESETTLEMENT A FURTHER ESTIMATED 500 PLUS
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ALL OF WHO HAVE RELATIVES IN THE UK
BUT WHO WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR ADMISSION UNDER OUR NORMAL
CRITERIA. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE UP TO 490 IN
HONG KONG WHO MIGHT QUALIFY AND 60 IN OTHER COUNTRIES IN
SOUTH EAST ASIA.
AS
SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT SITUATION IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG
AND POTENTIAL FOR DETERIORATION. LARGEST NUMBER OF
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN ANY COUNTRY OF FIRST ASYLUM.
SCALE OF GENERAL PROBLEM HAS DECREASED SO TOO HAVE
EFFORTS OF RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. ALTHOUGH HONG KONG
HAS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE IN THE SOUTH EAST
ASIAN REGION, RESETTLEMENT FROM THE TERRITORY IN 1984 WAS
CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES (3694
COMPARED WITH 10460 (MALAYSIA), 6901 (INDONESIA) AND 6659
(THAILAND). INEVITABLE RESULT IS A FAR LONGER STAY IN
HONG KONG'S TEMPORARY TRANSIT CENTRES. THIS MUST BE
UNDESIRABLE IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL LONG TERM EFFECT ON
REFUGEES: INCREASED RISKS OF ULTIMATE DISORDER IN THE
CAMPS ALSO MATTER OF SERIOUS CONCERN FOR HMG.
NOTE JAPANESE CABINET'S RECENT DECISION TO RAISE JAPAN'S
CEILING FOR REFUGEES FROM 5000 TO 10000. HOPE THAT THIS
MAY ENABLE YOU TO RESPOND TO OUR INITIATIVE BY TAKING
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CONFIDENTIAL