TNAG-0791-FCO40-995-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1978 — Page 170

CONFIDENTIAL

3. IN ORDER TO LIMIT THE ENTRY OF DEPENDANTS OF DEPENDANTS, THE

GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL HAS NOW DECIDED TO ADOPT, WITH IMMED EFFECT, NEW CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERING APPLICATIONS FOR ENTRY

FROM STATELESS PERSONS LIVING IN, OR ORIGINATING FROM, VIETNAM,

LAOS AND KAMPUCHEA. ENTRY FOR RESIDENCE WILL BE RESTRICTED TO :-

(A) WIVES:

(B)

(C)

HUSBANDS:

UNMARRIED DEPENDANT CHILDREN UNDER 21 YEARS OLD:

(D) AGED DEPENDANT PARENT LIVING ALONE IN VIETNAM WHOSE

FAMILY UNIT IS IN HONG KONG: AND

(E)

CASES INVOLVING PARTICULARLY STRONG HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS,

APPLICATIONS UNDER (A), (B), (C) AND (D) ABOVE WILL ONLY BE

ENTERTAINED IF THE SPONSOR ENTERED HONG KONG LEGALLY, OR HAD

HIS STAY IN HONG KONG LEGALISED, BEFORE 30 APRIL 1975,

4. WE BELIEVE THESE NEW CRITERIA WILL ENABLE US TO REJECT ALL

BUT A FEW HUNDRED OF THE OUTSTANDING APPLICATIONS AND PERHAPS

REJECT 95 PERCENT OF ALL FUTURE APPLICATIONS. WE WILL, OF COURSE

MONITOR CLOSELY THE EFFECT OF THESE CRITERIA AND REVIEW THEIR

APPLICATION AS NECESSARY.

5. IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR USUAL PRACTICE, WE DO NOT PROPOSE TO

PUBLISH THESE NEW CRITERIA. TO DO SO WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO

TAILOR THEIR APPLICATIONS TO MEET THEM, HOWEVER, WE EXPECT THAT THEIR PRACTICAL EFFECTS WILL SOON BE FELT: DEPENDING ON THE

SITUATION WE MAY MAKE A GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT HONG KONG'S

INABILITY TO ACCEPT THE LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE

APPLIED FOR ENTRY FROM INDO-CHINA. IF THIS PROVES NECESSARY,

WE WILL OF COURSE LET YOU KNOW. MEANWHILE, THE EXCO PAPER

WHICH GIVES FURTHER DETAILS OF THE BACKGROUND, IS BEING SENT

TO YOU BY BAG.

FCO PLEASE PASS SAVING TO PEKING.

MACLEHOSE

FILES.

[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]

MR MURRAY

LEGALADVISERS

IK9 GD (5),

UND.

SEAD.

PED.

MVD.

PUSD

NEWS O.

Ps.

PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS.

Psipus. MR'CORTA221

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MRSTRATION CONFIDENTIAL-