TNAG-0890-FCO40-1100-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 93

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

*** OUR Ref.:

CR 3/4821/79

* YOUR Ref.:

Mr. R. J. T. McLaren

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 243/1

RECENZ

Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

(116A)

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

15th June, 1979

Hong Kong and General Department 2.2 William J. 25.6

SW1A 2 AH

ENGLAND

W the hover ..r.

14/25/6 0225/6

hear homi

820

(Parti)

Accommodation

Vietnamese

Refugees

Further to my letter CR 3/4821/79 of 24th May, 1979, I enclose for your information an Executive Council Paper which was prepared at very short notice and which was discussed in the Executive Council on the 12th June 1979. In the discussion Members understandably made the point that not all the pros and cons of the various options had been stated.

After a longish discussion they advised that the existing policy should be maintained for the time being, though they recognised that sheer weight of numbers may make it necessary to amend it or change it eventually.

2.

In the light of this discussion we are being guided by the following

principles

a)

b)

c)

-

refugees should continue to be landed against the usual UHNCR undertakings wherever possible, but if for any reason these are no longer forthcoming they will have to be landed temporarily by the Government who will remain responsible for their care and maintenance;

in providing care and maintenance we shall provide food for refugees, though once they start to work we shall have to evolve a scheme for recovering the costs or else we shall require them to feed themselves from the outset and for those who cannot do so we shall devise a scheme by which they receive a food allowance;

so far as possible refugees should be accommodated in urban areas in relatively large concentrations and in places where they can obtain work. However accommo- dation should, if possible, be capable of being isolated from the surrounding area so that if there is any slackening in employment it would be possible to prevent refugees from working. If this occurred the Administration would of course, have to provide food and a greater level of supervision; and,

CONFIDENTIAL

./a)