A4AVU
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS BY MR KEITH BEST, MP
1KCK 243/3
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
14 FEB 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
General
PA
«pion lyken
хе
1.
Mr Best has shown great interest in
Chairman of the British Refugee Council's
refugee matters, and is
Committee for Refugees
from Indo-China. He last visited refugee camps 1. Hong Kong in
January 1985. Mr Best secured an Adjournment Debate on "South East Asia (Refugees)' in Ma y 1985, when he referred to several of the
the present questions, and
in spoke
adjournment debate that month, on family reunion cases.
matters
raised in
another
Question 31
2.
in EXCO decided
join close relatives opposite direction would
the undermine
refused.
1984
leave
closed
the
centre policy).
No
to permit refugees in open centres
in closed centres (to allow
in the
to system open
abuse and would
been has application
to
moves
Question 32
3.
other
relaxation of
This refers to the diplomatic campaign to encourage
countries to accept more refugees in response to HMG's the family reunion criteria, benefitting some 500 refugees in South East Asia. Some countries have given firm positive responses,
and
most
press
others
still are
them
both
multilaterally, and
considering their position.
We continue
to
and bilaterally
through UNHCR.
We
(through EC
are instructing
and
UNHCR)
posts in
resettlement countries to urge their hosts to accept more Vietnamese
refugees from Hong Kong in the light of Hong Kong's
to absorb more refugees from the Hong Kong camps and ship rescue transit centre there.
recent decision
a
to establish
23