CONFIDENTIAL
HUD 243/12
FROM:
PS/Lord Glenarthur
FILE
36
CO Hum
Hong Kong Department
23 March 1988
DATE:
Cc:
PS/Mr Eggar
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
Mr Adams, SEAD
LORD GLENARTHUR'S OFFICE MEETING ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG:
24 MARCH 1988
1.
Lord Glenarthur is holding an office meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.
2. As I see it, the purpose of the meeting will be:
(i) to discuss how the Secretary of State should respond to the Home
Secretary's minute of 15 March, proposing that our present commitment to
resettle 468 refugees at 20 per month should be met in full, but that
any attempts to extend it beyond the previously agree limits should
be resisted;
(ii) to consider how in the longer term we might best secure an additional
resettlement commitment, to run either concurrently with the present
commitment or when the present commitment expires. We need to bear in
mind the fact that Lord Glenarthur will be questioned closely on this when he visits Hong Kong again in June;
(iii) if Lord Glenarthur wishes, to review progress in our diplomatic attempts
to secure additional resettlement places and to pursue the long term
solution of repatriation to Vietnam.
3.
I submit a short paper to serve as a basis for discussion. It describes
the background, summarises the arguments for and against a further commitment
and examines the possible options. I envisage that the outcome of the meeting
might be a minute from Lord Glenarthur to the Secretary of State, recommending the lines on which the latter might speak informally to the Home Secretary to
sound out the ground before replying formally to his minute.
сли
CO Hum