B
Resettlement
CONFIDENTIAL
Some 12,750 Vietnamese refugees have been resettled
in the United Kingdom from Hong Kong. In 1986 we resettled
470 refugees from Hong Kong, with relatives in the UK but
who fell outside our usual "family reunion" criteria, Το
maximise the effect of this programme we pressed other
countries to accept more refugees from Hong Kong: this
produced some 1,200 more resettlements. Hong Kong is
"long stayers" from the camps.
in principle to a further UK
We
itself absorbing up to 250
The Home Office has agreed
intake from Hong Kong of at least 470 more refugees,
are continuing to work out the details before a submission
is made to H Committee.
It is planned that the
Government's decision will be communicated in a letter from
the Prime Minister to Miss Lydia Dunn, the Senior Member of
LegCo, in reply to a circular letter sent to all MPs.
Repatriation
The only long-term alternative to resettlement of
Vietnamese refugees appears to be an international approach
to Vietnam seeking agreement to the return to Vietnam or
those considered to have left for economic rather than
political reasons ("economic migrants"). Although this
would discourage further
further departures and would reduce the
need for resettlement, it would raise serious difficulties
because:
(a)
Vietnam has given no indication of being willing to accept their return.
(b)
Any repatriation programme would be likely to
provoke public criticism unless there were acceptable
assurances that those returned were not treated harshly.
(c)
Those to be returned would have to be selected by a
"screening" process which would need to be seen to be fair.
CONFIDENTIAL