Translation
Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
301-320.25 GR 9
13.3.1986
Dear Mr. Lyscom,
in response to your recent Speaking Note, Herr Kruse has asked me to explain our position on the problem of Indo-Chinese refugees in Hong Kong.
We have so far accepted approx. 2,400 Indo-Chinese refugees from Hong Kong for resettlement under the Federal Republic of Germany's humanitarian aid programme. Of these, large groups accounted for approx. 1,600 persons in 1979; guarantee cases and family reunion measures have since made up the rest.
Due to a reluctance on the part of the Länder to take larger numbers, humanitarian aid has been restricted since Spring 1980 to guarantee cases (refugees who have been rescued at sea by ships sailing under a German flag and who cannot find refuge in another country) and family reunion; this therefore precludes the acceptance of larger groups of refugees who have no ties with the Federal Republic. The Federal and Länder Governments also established this principle in writing on 5 March 1982 in the so-called Rules of Procedure for the acceptance of foreigners for humanitarian reasons.
A special quota therefore requires the consent of the Länder Ministries. We were able to meet a request from the UNHCR last year and made provisions for 32 refugees from Hong Kong with more remote family links with the Federal Republic to be accepted as part of a special programme. (Over half of these refugees eventually decided to emigrate to a different host country.)
Apart from this one special programme the Federal and Länder Governments are unfortunately not prepared to accept larger groups of refugees at present.
Hong Kong's achievements in the acceptance and care of Indo-Chinese refugees are very good by international standards. We therefore greatly regret that our hands are tied and that we cannot launch any further programmes. However, we continue to relieve the burden on Hong Kong by pursuing family reunion (reuniting separated spouses, minors and their parents) and the acceptance of guarantee cases.