TNAG-0586-FCO40-719-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 132

CONFIDENTI AL

2. EVEN PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THIS GROUP WOULD MAKE OUR POLICY ON REPATRIATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA MUCH HARDER TO DEFEND PUBLICLY. THE KMT HAVE ALREADY ARGUED THAT OUR RECENT DECIS

ON PURELY HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS TO ALLOW THE 19 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ABOARD THE BRITISH-REGISTERED (AND HONG KONG OWNED AND OPERATED) TANKER ''CREE'' TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG TEMPORARILY UNTIL THEY FOUND PERMANENT SETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE IS INCONSISTENT WITH OUR ATTITUDE ON THE REPATRIATION OF CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. (SEE JANVRIN'S LETTER TO DRACE-FRANCIS OF 1 JULY.) THE KMT ARGUMENT IS THAT HONG

KONG SHOULD BE USED AS A TEMPORARY SAFE GROUND FOR CHINESE ''REFUGEES'' WHO HOPE TO SEEK ASYLUM IN TAIWAN. IF SUCH A SITUATION

WERE CREATED HERE, IT WOULD BE INTOLERABLE TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT,

3. ADDITIONAL ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF STICKING FIRMLY TO THE POLICY

WHICH YOU HELPFULLY ENDORSE IN YOUR TELEGRAM NO 536 ARE:

(A) HONG KONG HAS ALREADY SHOWN ITSELF TO BE FULLY RESPONSIVE TO HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS BY ITS RECEPTION LAST YEAR OF 4,0 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHILE ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR THEIR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT BOTH IN HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE. (HOW MANY OF THE 4,000 DID BURMA TAKE?):

(B) THE MAJORITY OF THE GROUP (IF NOT ALL) ON THE ''AVA'' ARE

ETHNIC VIETNAMESE WHO SPEAK NO CANTONESE AND HAVE NO CONNECTION OF

ANY KIND WITH HONG KONG. IN CONTRAST, ALL THE ILLEGALS FROM KWANGTUNG PROVINCE WHOM WE REFUSE PERMISSION TO ENTER HONG KONG HAVE A MUCH BETTER CLAIM ON HONG KONG BY REASON OF RACE, LANGUAGE AND CUSTOM THAN THESE VIETNAMESE :

(C) IN ADDITION TO THE 'CLARA MAERSK GROUP LAST YEAR, HONG KONG

HAS ALREADY ABSORBED SOME 4-5,000 VIETNAMESE WHO MADE THEIR WAY HER BY A VARIETY OF ILLEGAL MEANS. WE HAVE THEREFORE, ALBEIT UNWILLINGY DONE MORE THAN OUR SHARE ALREADY:

(D) LAST YEAR THE UNHCR'S REPRESENTATIVES MADE LITTLE PRACTICAL

CONTRIBUTION TO THE RESETTLEMENT OF OUR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, WE

SAW THEIR MAIN VALUE AS A POSSIBLE MEANS OF PERSUADING THE

VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO TAKE BACK THOSE WHO EXPRESSED A WISH TO

RETURN TO VIETNAM. OWING TO THE INDIFFERENCE SHOWN BY HANOI, THE UNHCR FAILED IN THIS. IN THE ABSENCE OF CLEAR ASSURANCES BY

- 2 CONFIDENTT AL.

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