FCS/89/204
CONFIDENTIAL
CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY
HKB
243 / 11
Hong Kong: Vietnamese Boat People
1. At the OD (K) meeting on 4 October the Sub-committee concluded that John Major should pursue with you the outstanding funding questions related to the problem of Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong
2. In your letter of 9 August, you indicated that you were content with our proposals for expenditure of
£4.5 million on emergency accommodation; £5 million on a
Regional Processing Centre for Refugees; and £1.3 million
on the repatriation of non-volunteers to Vietnam.
3.
The £4.5 million for emergency accommodation has been
transferred to the Hong Kong Government and disbursed.
It now seems unlikely that the Regional Processing Centre will materialise on the scale originally envisaged, if at
all. If it does, it will be on a much reduced scale and
our contribution is unlikely to be more than £2 million in this financial year. We will revert when the position
is clearer. No money has yet been spent on the
repatriation of non-volunteers because none have yet been
returned: the amount required in this financial year will depend on our success in establishing a substantial
programme.
/4.
CONFIDENTIAL
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