CONFIDENTIAL
A
B
4.
There is every likelihood that the numbers reaching Hong Kong
will continue to increase: the tougher policies already introduced
by other countries in the region, the inevitable rumours of a
possible change of policy in Hong Kong, and the favourable weather
conditions at this time of year are all very likely to contribute to a surge in the coming weeks.
5. Against this background, the Hong Kong Government have been
reviewing their policy of automatic first asylum for all people who
arrive by boat from Vietnam. The Hong Kong Government's memorandum
for ExCo on this subject (Hong Kong telno 1824) sets out the current
state of thinking. In essence the Hong Kong Government have
rejected the option of detention of all arrivals without screening,
although they recognise that this would have maximum deterrent
effect. They have opted for a policy with the following elements:
people arriving by boat from Vietnam would no longer be
automatically deemed to have refugee status;
a system of screening on arrival, based on standard UNHCR
criteria (and along lines used by Home Office), would be introduced
to distinguish genuine refugees from economic migrants;
those arrivals who failed to satisfy the criteria (ie were
screened out) would not be eligible for resettlement. They would be
detained indefinitely in closed camps, pending eventual return to
Vietnam when this can be agreed with the Vietnamese authorities on
the basis of acceptable assurances about their treatment.
6.
As part of the new policy the Hong Kong Government intend that
the existing closed centres should be liberalised and placed under
the responsibility of the UNHCR. Over a period of 6-12 months the
closed centre refugees would be transferred to open centres and
allowed to take up employment in the community. This would over
time substantially reduce the cost to the Hong Kong Government of
refugee maintenance.
7. Hong Kong telno 1825 sets out a possible timetable for the
implementation of the new policy, which the Governor provisionally
plans to introduce on 15 June. We have made it clear that there can
be no guarantee that Ministerial approval for the change will be forthcoming by that date.
CONFIDENTIAL