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Regarding the last two paragraphs on page 4, I
would be grateful to know how many refugees from closed centres and how many refugees from open centres Refugee Action has dealt with since November 1985. The statement that refugees from closed centres are more difficult to cope with than those from open centres is a sweeping generalisation. I presume that Refugee Action has sufficient evidence on which to base this assertion?
I am also intrigued by the statement that all refugees from Hong Kong are extremely suspicious of the people working with them. Again, I would be grateful if you could provide some evidence of this. We have had no similar reaction from elsewhere in the world and we have no evidence of this suspicion in Hong Kong itself. Recently I have visited some of the refugee processing centres in the region where I was told that refugees from Hong Kong integrate much more quickly than those from other places in the region. Your experience seems to be atypical and I would be interested to know on what evidence it is based.
Since these two documents refer to the UK family reunion process in general, I am taking the liberty of copying this letter to others involved together with copies of the papers concerned.
I look forward to your comments.
JB, Sreek
may see?
yours,
K. J. Woodhouse
for Secretary for Security.
cc: FCO, HKD (Attn: Mr Clinton Leeks)
HK Office London (Attn: Mr Ben Tang) Home Office (Attn: Ms Liz Hebden) D. of Imm (Attn: Mr William Yan) C for CS (Attn: Mr I. K. Bhagat)