CONFIDENTIAL
(caped to SEAD)
Kalked
HKD139
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
HKK 243/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
07 AUG 1985
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
Dear Mush.
داری
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REGISTRY
Action Taken,
व्ख
London SW1A 2AH
Бра
SCORRI.
5 August, 1985 6/p.
Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong
I am writing to follow-up last week's meeting between the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary on the question of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, and in particular about what continuing commitments HMG might make to take refugees over and beyond the family reunion cases recommended by SCORRI.
At the meeting I think that there was general agreement that we should indicate that HMG were prepared in principle to take further refugees over and beyond family reunion cases, but that there should be no commitment to any particular figure in the absence of a response from other countries. Sir Geoffrey Howe and Mr Luce also made the point that presentation of this decision to other resettlement countries was all-important, and that it would not be wise to put the formula in terms of a bald conditional, ie "unless you take more, we will not take more".
A number of formulae were discussed at the meeting, but no firm conclusions were reached. Sir Geoffrey has now asked me to say that he thinks that a formula on the following lines would best serve the purpose, and could be included in the reply to SCORRI as a response to Section 5(iii) of the recommendations:
"Apart from the family reunion cases, HMG are additionally in principle prepared to resettle in the UK further limited numbers of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong, and in particular, as the report proposed, to take some of those who have proved hard to resettle. Decisions will be taken on the actual numbers of refugees to be admitted in the light both of the prevailing circumstances at the time in the refugee camps and the willingness shown by other resettlement countries to respond to Hong Kong's needs".
Sir Geoffrey very much hopes that this formula (or something very close to it) will be acceptable to the Home Secretary. He thinks that in view of SCORRI's recommendations it should be manageable
/domestically,
CONFIDENTIAL