CONFIDENTIAL
12/7/7
pävirta
256,
7
255
Private Secretary
нк
Mr Calsworthy, Mki)
From: P J Westmacott Date: 12 July 1985
CC:
Sir W Harding
Dr Wilson
Mr Lever, UND Mr Galsworthy, HKD SEAD
The Secret of Statie Saw
this and was withing to minute; dufr was beake lot it to He' Howe
le
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1.
minute of it Juh
Search's minute
circ'd separatel
Rockets
16/7
Mr Luce agrees with Mr Galsworthy's recommendation that the Secretary of State should now send a further message to the Home Secretary, and that there would be advantage in copying the papers to the Prime Minister.
2. He took the initiative in seeing Mr Waddington privately on 11 July, because of his concern at the lack of response to the Secretary of State's minute of 20 May, and the indications at official level that the Home Office had problems with our proposals. His understanding is that the Home Secretary has, very reluctantly, agreed to accept the SCORRI recommendations, but would prefer not to say so publicly until after the recess, given his decision to conform with the Strasbourg decision this week and the influx of Tamil refugees. However, as Mr Galsworthy reports, Mr Waddington believes Mr Brittan can be persuaded to agree to an announcement in early September.
3.
Mr Luce believes that some account should be taken of the Home Secretary's problems, particularly in the light of the forthcoming party conference. He also appreciates that, from the Home Office point of view, there is a certain logic in declining to go any further than SCORRI's recommendations. He nevertheless believes it is important to continue to press the Home Secretary for a response which includes agreement to a continuing programme, as a means of both reassuring Hong Kong and encouraging the rest of the international community to take more refugees.
4.
On timing, Mr Luce believes it is most important to pin down the Home Office before the recess, even if, in exchange for a satisfactory response on the substance, we have to accept that its announcement waits until September. He regrets that, in the light of the unhelpful way in which the Home Office have behaved so far, there seems to be no alternative to the Secretary of State taking the matter up personally with the Home Secretary.
HKK 24315
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
18 JUL 1985
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CONFIDENTIAL
/5.