HUD 243 +20
CONFIDENTIA.
MAR 1988
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Mr R M Morris
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c.c. Mr F J Smith
Mr Yates Mr Chilcot Mr Tompkins
Mr Flesher
Mr RA Harrington
Mrs Pallett
Miss Stewart
Mr McDonough
Mr Lidington
Geranthu PS (FGO)
PAL Mr Gillman
Ma Mchan
Cr 28/2
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HOME SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH
SIR DAVID WILSON, 22 MARCH 1988
Nya?
You were present along with Sir Brian Cubbon when the Home Secretary met the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir David Wilson, оп 22 March. The Governor's Private Secretary was also in attendance.
2.
Opening the discussion, Sir David said that Hong Kong continued to experience substantial real growth. The economic boom had led to problems of shortage of labour but otherwise the economy was healthy. Diplomatically, the Colony was in a nervy condition with the approach of were continuing worries about relationships with the United
1997. Kingdom.
3.
These worries affected the refugee issue. There had been a 65% increase in the number of refugees coming to Hong Kong last year. Most of these were] Vietnamese. The Colony now housed about 10,000 refugees in total. The Hong Kong Government would shortly be opening a new camp for refugees. Resettlement had dropped by about 40% and the Hong Kong Government was anxiously pressing the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other foreign governments to improve the resettlement rate. The long-term answer must be in a return of the refugees to Vietnam, but this was naturally very difficult to secure. Meanwhile the United Kingdom Government had to give a lead.
4.
The Home Secretary said that he fully understood the difficulty the Colony faced. But it was hard to make a case for the United Kingdom to take in more than the 468 already promised while the inflow of refugees to Hong Kong continued. The answer seemed to lie in a policy which would secure a cessation of the inflow, coupled with an acceptance by other governments of the need to help in shouldering the burden of resettling those refugees who had already entered Hong Kong.
5.
Discussion moved on to the use of the Home Secretary's discretion to award British citizenship. The Home Secretary said that he had received a number of requests from wealthy Chinese who wanted to acquire British ctizenship. There were, of course, statutory requirements which he had to observe in exercising his discretion, and he took the view that it would not be appropriate to give citizenship away to the wealthy. He thought it was right to let the Governor know of the continuing pressure he faced and the approach he was taking. Sir David endorsed the Home Secretary's approach and said that he too felt it would be wrong for citizenship to be awarded simply to the super-rich.
1.
CONFIDENTIAL
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