GINABU (2)
CONFIDENTIAL
LADY YOUNG'S VISIT TO PARIS, 3 JUNE: LUNCH WITH M. BARIANI
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
ESSENTIAL FACTS
GENERAL
1.
first
8,700 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong awaiting
resettlement; the largest number of any place of asylum in South East Asia. They are spending increasingly
long periods in Hong Kong because of diminishing
prospects: 63% have been there more than 3
resettlement
years.
RECENT ACTION BY HMG
2. The Government announced in September:
(i) that HMG will accept for resettlement some 500 refugees, mostly from Hong Kong, who have
relatives in the UK but who would normally
fall outside the Home Office's criteria for
family reunion cases;
(ii) that, depending on the willingness shown by
countries to respond to
further limited numbers
other resettlement
Hong Kong's needs, HMG are prepared to consider accepting
from Hong
Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government
would also be prepared to absorb limited
numbers from the camps.
(Hong Kong is
absorbing up to 250 more refugees.)
CONFIDENTIAL