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right of abode which would not require people to leave Hong Kong.
8.
In the same interview, Congressman Solarz also sought to
establish a link between Hong Kong's handling of the Vietnamese boat
people problem and the international community's willingness to
provide resettlement opportunities for Hong Kong people in the
future.
Representative Government
9. The Americans find it difficult to understand why we do not
introduce 100% direct elections immediately. In any discussion of
this subject, the Secretary of State will therefore need to explain
why this is not politically feasible.
Asia Pacific Economic Forum
10. The Americans have reacted cautiously to our lobbying over Hong
Kong's participation in the November ministerial meeting of the Asia
Pacific Economic Forum. The Administration is likely to give more
weight in its calculations to relations with China than to the
merits of Hong Kong's cause.
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
11.
The Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) endorsed by the Geneva
International Conference in June provided the framework for a
comprehensive solution, including the introduction of region-wide screening and commitments to resettle over 3 years the approximately 40,000 refugees currently in places of first asylum (over 13,000 of
whom are in Hong Kong). The Geneva Conference also endorsed the
principle that non-refugees should be returned to their country of
origin. It was less precise, however, on the mechanism for
repatriating those who do not volunteer to return. The
effectiveness of the Plan of Action is to be reviewed by officials
in October 1989.
12. Of the total boat people population in Hong Kong of over
55,000, around 40,000 are unlikely to acquire refugee status after
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