TNAG-0843-FCO40-1053-Visit-of-Lord-Carrington--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-1979 — Page 43

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: 29

30 JUNE

BRIEF NO 3: SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION WITH THE GOVERNOR:

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

ESSENTIAL FACTS

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT POLICY

1.

Currently Hong Kong Government Policy is:

(i) To accept for permanent settlement:

(a) those who are spouses, dependent children or de-

pendent elderly parents of people who were al-

ready permanent residents of the territory before

1975;

(b) those who are picked up at sea by Hong Kong regist-

ered vessels

(ii)To provide temporary shelter, pending resettlement else-

where by UNHCR, to:

(a) those who arrive in Hong Kong in their own boats;

(b) those who are rescued at sea by vessels for whom

Hong Kong is the next scheduled port of call.

However, the Hong Kong Government have now said

(but have not announced publicly) that they can

no longer automatically apply the first port of

call principle in view of the present overcrowding

in Hong Kong

PRESENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG

2. Numbers

(a) 11,000 former residents of Vietnam (plus a further 2,500

Laotians and Cambodians) have been accepted for permanent settle-

ment in Hong Kong since 1975.

CONFIDENTIAL

/(b)