3
JM
HOME OFFICE
Lunar House Wellesley Road Croydon CR9 2BY
Telegram Immnat Croydon
Telephone 01-760-2648
Ms Irene Khan
Deputy Representative for the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
36 Westminster Palace Gardens
Artillery Row
- LONDON SW1P 1RR
Please reply to The Under Secretary of State Your reference
Our reference
IMG/85 58/1026/14
Date
4 October 1985
VIETNAMESE FAMILY REUNION CASES
1.
When we discussed, on 27 September, our preliminary thoughts about the procedures we require to establish with the British Refugee Council so that we can quickly begin processing the cases embraced by the Government's commitment to family reunification contained in its reply to the SCORRI report on refugee matters, I undertook to write to you once we had both had a further opportunity to consider my proposals. This letter is intended to fulfil that agreement.
2. I mentioned that we in IND wish to conduct this business
quickly and, in view of the limited resources of the Refugee Unit, it is clearly in all our interests that the procedures should avoid duplication.
3. When we spoke, you confirmed that UNHCR would be establishing contact with the Hong Kong authorities. I expect that the outline of procedures in my letter to BRC will be sufficient for your purposes at present. If not perhaps you would let me know. We assume that despite their current financial difficulties UNHCR would meet the cost of travel to the United Kingdom in the normal way.
4.
There is a little more work to be done in respect of those family reunion cases in camps outside Hong Kong, about which, frankly, we currently know very little. I believe that we must turn to UNHCR to help to provide the sort of detail about these cases that BRC have been able to supply about the Hong Kong cases. I gather from our telephone conversation on 2 October that UNHCR are able to do so.
When you have the information BRC, UNHCR and ourselves will need to establish how, and when, those cases will conjoin with the Hong Kong programme. I have already put South East Asia Department at FCO on notice about this work.
5.
I will keep you in early touch with developments.
SC WELLS
B1 Division