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HKGO
6587/LM 891
17 OCTOBER 1986
FOR DAVID JEAFFRESON, SECRETARY FOR SECURITY
KEN WOODHOUSE IN LONDON COPIED TO:
FM
CLINTON LEEKS, HKD, FCO ANTHONY WOO, UKMIS)
GENEVA (PLS PASS TO DELIA WALKER AT
CONFIDENTIAL
JJJJ Q
KEY NO.44?
START CM 44
MEETINGS WITH VOLUNTARY AGENCIES
I HELD SEPARATE MEETINGS YESTERDAY WITH MARGARET KEMP FROM THE FAMILY REUNION CO-ORDINATION OFFICE (WHO CO-ORDINATES THE UK FAMILY REUNION CASES ON BEHALF OF THE HOME OFFICE), PETER SHELLY FROM SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND, AND SHIRLEY FOZZARD, PENNY DANE AND LAN TRINH FROM REFUGEE ACTION.
2.
MARGARET KEMP NORMALLY DEALS WITH THE UK ODP FROM VIETNAM AND WAS ASKED BY THE HOME OFFICE, WHICH PAYS HER, TO CO-ORDINATE THE FAMILY REUNION PROGRAMME FROM HONG KONG. SHE RECEIVES LISTS OF REFUGEES DRAWN UP BY REFUGEE ACTION AND OCKENDEN VENTURE, BUT EXPLAINED THAT NO DETAILED CHECKING IS DONE. SHE MERELY ENSURES THAT THE REFUGEES ARE ON HOME OFFICE LISTS, BUT SHE ADMITTED THAT, SINCE THESE ARE NOT (NOT) COMPREHENSIVE, EVEN THIS CHECK IS FALLIBLE. SHE PASSED ME A LIST OF TABULATIONS WHICH HER OFFICE HAD PREPARED (COPY FOLLOWS BY POST). THE STATISTICS FOR UK FAMILY REUNION APPEAR CORRECT AND, THEREFORE, HER ESTIMATE THAT THERE ARE OVER 800 REFUGEES IN HONG KONG WITH RELATIVES IN UK IS OF CONCERN. I EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD ASKED FOR A LIST OF THESE REFUGEES FROM THE HOME OFFICE IN ORDER TO CHECK CAREFULLY IN HONG KONG.
3.
I DISCUSSED WITH PETER SHELLEY THE STAFF CHANGES AT BOWRING DURING THE SUMMER. I SAID THAT THESE WERE MATTERS FOR SCF, BUT WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR HIS EFFORTS IN SORTING OUT A POTENTIALLY ACRIMONIOUS SITUATION. HE SAID THAT THE NEW SCF DIRECTOR WOULD ARRIVE IN HONG KONG IN EARLY NOVEMBER.
4.
REFUGEE ACTION REPRESENTATIVES EXPLAINED THAT THEY ADVERTISED FOR REFUGEES WITH RELATIVES IN HONG KONG. REPLIES WERE STILL COMING IN AT THE RATE OF ABOUT 50 PER MONTH. THEY ASKED ME TO ENSURE THAT THE HOME OFFICE PASSED AN UP-TO-DATE LIST TO US AND I AGREED TO ASK LIZ HEBDEN TO SPEAK TO BRC BEFORE SENDING ANYTHING TO US.