A
17538
1.
Mr. Cortaz. And tot d Trow, istid: 3. Provate Secretary
Mr Munpay
CONFIDENTIAL
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
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1. The Home Secretary has suggested that the Secretary of State
and the Lord Privy Seal may wish to be aware of comments on the
performance of UNHCR in Hong Kong, contained in a report by
Mr Colin Birt of the Home Office who recently visited Hong Kong
to select Vietnamese refugees for resettlement in this country.
Background
2. The comments in question are in paragraphs 8-12 of the
report. They show that the cexcessively bureaucratic attitude
by the UNHCR staff in Hong Kong appears to have been delaying
the resettlement programme. The Hong Kong immigration authorities
are doing their best to overcome the difficulties that this.
attitude has created.
3. Mr Birt also found that relations between the UNHCR and the
Hong Kong Government appeared to be somewhat strained, because of
a dispute over the former's failure to honour an earlier commitment
to accept full responsibility for all refugees in Hong Kong.
Other reports we have received suggest that the situation is not
as bad as Mr Birt suspected. The Hong Kong Government have
undoubtedly been exasperated by some aspects of the UNHCR's
performance. But they also recognise that the UNHCR face great
difficulties, particularly as a result of the very rapid growth
of the refugee population earlier this year.
CONFIDENTIAL
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