Background
GENERAL
The increase has
1. There are now about 25,000 Vietnamese boat people in camps in Hong Kong, compared with about 9,000 a year ago. placed an enormous burden on the Hong Kong Government.
New Policy
2.
The Hong Kong Government introduced a new policy on 16 June t involva-eyetom of screening on arrival, based on internationally recognised criteria, to distinguish genuine refugees from those who have left Vietnam simply in search of a better life.
Those few who
can show that they are genuine refugees will be accommodated in Hong
Kong to await resettlement.
The rest will be detained as illegal
500
of whom
immigrants pending their return to Vietnam as soon as acceptable
so fettete Hong Kong conditions for this are established. Covernment have interviewed about 1,000 post 18 June arrivals, Initial views has been taken on about half of these one have been
appew
to merit refugee status, but no decisions have been made known se screened or to the public
Talks with Vietnam
3.
We
A first round of talks between British and Hong Kong officials and the Vietnamese took place at the invitation of the Vietnamese on
The Vietnamese insisted on 3-4 August. They ended inconclusively. voluntary returns, and reintegration assistance for returnees. pressed for effective measures to stop departures and the return of all who are not refugees. Similar talks between Malaysia and Vietnam ended in agreement on voluntary returns. In earlier talks betWEEIT UNHCR and the Vietnamese UNHCR pressed the Vietnamese to accept the return of all non-refugees.
A.
A second round of talks will be held in London on 11-12 October. While we do not see a comprehensive agreement on returnees being. reached at the talks, we are fairly confident that a good deal of progress will be made on the repatriation of the volunteers who have