CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2258
OF 10133OZ JUNE 88
CONFIDENTIAL
(209
123574
MDHIAN 2916
HKB 027/3
BRIEF N° 3
ANNEX
A
PERSONAL FOR HUM, HKD, FROM GOVERNOR
MIPT: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: RECORD OF MEETING WITH OMELCO
INTRODUCTION
SIR S Y CHUNG WELCOMED THE SECRETARY OF STATE, THE GOVERNOR AND MEMBERS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PARTY TO THE MEETING.
2. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID THAT HE WAS VERY PLEASED TO VISIT HONG KONG AGAIN TO MEET WITH MEMBERS AND TO BE ABLE TO UPDATE HIMSELF ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. DURING THE LAST TWO DAYS, HE HAD BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE STRONG FEELINGS AROUSED BY THE RECENT INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS AND THE PROBLEMS CAUSED. HE ALSO NOTED THE PUBLIC INTEREST TAKEN IN THE FIRST DRAFT BASIC LAW, A DOCUMENT WHICH PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSLATING THE SINO- BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION INTO PRACTICE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD TALKED TO MANY HONG KONG PEOPLE AND HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG HAD PROVED WORTHWHILE AND INFORMATIVE.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
3. ON THE INVITATION OF SIR S Y CHUNG, MRS RITA FAN GAVE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM FACED BY HONG KONG. SHE SAID THAT AT PRESENT A TOTAL OF SOME 13,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WERE STAYING IN HONG KONG, WAITING TO BE ACCEPTED FOR RESETTLEMENT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THE NUMBER OF ARRIVALS FOR THIS YEAR HAD INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY IN THAT THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL FOR THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1988 WAS 5,152 WHILE THAT FOR THE SAME PERIOD IN 1987 WAS ONLY 435, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 11.8 TIMES. THIS PROBLEM OF SUDDEN INFLUX VIETNAMESE BOAT ARRIVALS HAD AROUSED GREAT CONCERN AND GIVEN RISE TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS:-
(A) THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY FELT VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THE DOUBLE STANDARDS THAT WERE CURRENTLY APPLIED IN THE HANDLING OF ARRIVALS FROM CHINA AND VIETNAM. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA WERE REPATRIAT-
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