-Reference
Pa 243/5.
126,
! CONFIDENTIAL
MKK 243/5
2 1 APR 1985
RECEIVED !!
Mr Galsworthy fee
see
INDEX
DESK OFFICE
PA
Action
ARCO
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : POLICY PAPER AND DRAFT SUBMISSION
1. I attach a copy of our draft submission, policy paper and minutes summarising SEAD's comments, for you to refer to at tomorrow afternoon's meeting with SEAD and UND. I assume they will bring their own papers.
2. The other outstanding issue concerns the possibility of our using Bataan. (Our telno 458, Hong Kong telno 554, Manila Telno 83 and Washington Teleletter of 15 March refer).
I believe we can drop the "island" scenario pro tem! I think we must assume Hong Kong had not seen Gomersall's teleletter when they responded, or they would have at least referred to it.
3. I would suggest that the use of Bataan by the UK might be added as a new option (iii) under para 25(b) of the policy paper (it follows logically from (i) and (ii)) as follows:
"(iii) USE OF BATAAN RPC BY THE UK
If (eg as a result of the SCORRI enquiry) HMG decides to take a large number of Vietnamese from Hong Kong on a continuing basis, it would be logical to consider making use of the Bataan facilities for those selected for resettlement here. The aim of such a scheme would be to reduce the problems involved in integrating refugees upon arrival in the UK, by means of intensive "orientation" courses in Bataan's purpose-built facilities. Preliminary soundings of the US State Department have indicated that the US Government, as the major user of the RPC, would welcome a decision by HMG to use the facilities, and might be prepared to share some of the costs of training UK resetlement cases in the centre. If we were to decide to pursue this, the next stage would be to consult UNHCR, who run and maintain the RPC.
4. A sentence should also go in the draft submission end of para 9, I suggest-as follows:
-
at the
"If a decision to increase resettlement is taken, the possibility of our using Bataan, in order to reduce the assimilation problems of new arrivals in the UK, should also be examined".
CODE 18-77
10 April 1985
E Leeks Hong Kong Department
CONFIDENTIAL