Mr Cortazzi
cc:
MVD
News Dept UND HK&GE
I
**243/1
CONFIDENTIAL
Rom
19
1425
May
по
ж?
237 빠륵
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: ENTRY AND EXIT VISAS
1 You asked for a note on the allegation that resettlement countries were contributing to the refugee problem of refusing entry visas to applicants in Vietnam.
2. I have spoken to the Home Office, Migration and Visa Department and Mr Maideen about this.
There are perhaps
30 persons in Vietnam to whom we have refused visas on the grounds
The same criterion that they have no connection with this country.
is used, with the same effect, by most if not all Western countries. The criterion is only waived in favour of refugees.
3.
On the other hand, Mr Maideen states that there are 42 instances of people for whom UK entry visas have been authorised
The Home Office being unable to obtain Vietnamese exit visas.
accept this figure as probably reasonable, though they cannot confirm it. All such people, Mr Maideen said, are ethnic Vietnamese whose wish to leave the Vietnamese authorities are not prepared to consider at present. It is such people who form the very small proportion (around 1%) of refugees who leave illegally.
RP Flower
19 July 1979
South East Asian Department
THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNTIL
UNDER FOI
EXEMPTION No.38...
CONFIDENTIAL
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