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
resettlements.
is
Hong Kong
"long stayers" from the camps.
in principle to a further UK
We
produced some 1,200 more
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
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
this ("economic migrants"). Although would discourage further departures and would reduce
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