GRS 600
CONFIDENT AL
FM WASHINGTON
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1665
OF 24200OZ JUNE 86
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 243/9
RECEIV
EGISTRY
27 JUN 1986
YOUR TELNO 1110: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
SUMMARY
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1. OUR CONCERNS FIRMLY LODGED WITH THOSE PRODUCING ADMINISTRAT ON
RESPONSE TO THE RAY FANEL REPORT. US PECOGNISE BURDEN BORNE
BY HONG KONG AND WILL CONTINUE TO HELP REDUCE REFUGEE POPULATION
THERE. BUT NO COMMITMENT AS TO NUMBERS, AND SHIFT OF EMPHASIS
TOWARDS USING IMMIGRATION CRITERIA.
DETAIL
2. MINISTER CALLED TODAY ON PURCELL (DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU
FOR REFUGEE PROGRAMMES, STATE) AND MADE THE POINTS IN TUR, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE WE ATTACHED TO THE US FINDING SOME MEANS TO KEEP UP THEIR CURRENT LEVEL OF ADMISSIONS FROM HONG KONG. 3. PURCELL SAID THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WERE STILL WORKING ON THEIR RESPONSE TO THE RAY PANEL REPORT. BUT THEY WOULD BE ACCEPTING THE MAIN THRUST, NAMELY THAT WHILE THE US WOULD CONTINUE TO TAKE IN AS REFUGEES THOSE VIETNAMESE WHO GENUINELY FACE
PERSECUTION, THEY WOULD INCREASINGLY WISH TO SEE THE MAJORITY
ACCEPTED UNDER NORMAL IMMIGRATION CRITERIA.
4. PURCELL SAID THAT THE US RECOGNISED THE BURDEN WHICH HONG KONG BORE, AND THE MAJOR EFFORT THEY HAD MADE OVER THE YEARS TO TAKE IN VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. THE US WOULD CONTINUE TO HELP DIMINISH THE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG. THEY HAD, SO FAR, TAKEN A TOTAL OF 62,000, THE GREAT MAJORITY BEFORE 1902. MANY OF THESE PEOPLE HAD NOW BEEN IN THE US LONG ENOUGH TO ADJUST THEIR RESIDENCE STATUS HERE AND PETITION THE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALISATION SERVICE (NS) TO BRING IN THEIR RELATIVES. THE ADMIN STRATION WERE DOING ALL THEY COULD TO GET THE MESSAGE TO THE V ETNAMESE COMMUNITY THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN PETITIONING THE NS TO BRING FAMILY MEMBERS TO THE US. PURCELL
AGREED THAT IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF THOSE IN THE CAMPS IN HONG KONG WITH RELATIVES IN THE US COULD ENCOURAGE THEIR FAMILY
MEMBERS HERE TO TAKE THIS STEP.
Ch 25/i
CONFIDENTIAL
15.