MELAAX
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO JAPAN, 19-22 SEPTEMBER
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
1.
Kong
Although their problem is still tiny compared to that of Hong the Japanese have now begun to worry about the arrival of increasing numbers of Vietnamese boat people on Japanese shores and
2,110 boat are consequently being forced into a more robust policy people have arrived so far this year (1,258 in August) compared to only 219 in 1988. The Japanese are now urgently reviewing their policy of automatic asylum and are likely soon to introduce a screening procedure similar to that in Hong Kong. The Prime Minister may wish to point out that Japan will soon face the same problem that we have done of what to do about those screened out. She may also wish to stress that unless the voluntary repatriation programme starts to produce dramatically improved results by the time of the Geneva Review meeting in mid-October, Hong Kong will have to start to implement mandatory repatriation.
2. The Japanese have been generally sympathetic to our difficulties in Hong Kong. They have already donated $11 million through UNHCR towards the cost of emergency accommodation for boat people in Hong Kong and have offered to help with vocational and language training for those awaiting settlement. The Prime Minister may wish to thank Kaifu for Japanese help so far and encourage him to support the early establishment of a refugee processing centre in the Philippines for those awaiting resettlement in order to ease some of
the pressure on Hong Kong.
CONFIDENTIAL