Original at: HKCK 34114
This Copy for:
Information only / Action on Para(s)
Mr Cortazzi
Parliamentary Unit
vek 243/1
13 DEC1779
Mo
171312; 1/43
1907
fuob
PQ: HONG KONG: REFUGEES ANE EMIGRATION TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
1. I submit a draft reply to a PQ put down by Mr Arthur Lewis MP
(Labour Newham North West) for written answer on 12 December.
Since Mr Blaker (who, Parliamentary Unit have confirmed, will be
answering the question) is familiar with the problem of refugees
in Hong Kong and the answer consists primarily of statistics, no
background note has been prepared.
2.
Mr Lewis does not seem to have worded his question tightly
enough to achieve his real purpose which is probably to obtain a
straight comparison between population movements into and out of
Hong Kong. It is, for instance, possible that when he speaks
of "refugees" he has in mind not only refugees from Vietnam but
also illegal immigrants from China. The Hong Kong Government have
however asked us not to volunteer information about illegal
immigrants in our reply (Hong Kong telegram No 1747 attached).
It is important for their relations with the Chinese authorities
that a clear distinction be maintained between refugees and
immigrants; this distinction might be blurred if we were to mix
the two categories in this reply. I agree and have therefore only
quoted the Vietnamese refugee figures in the draft reply.
3. It is also unclear what Mr Lewis means when he speaks of
"Hong Kong citizens leaving to enter the United Kingdom".
Probably he wants the totals simply of persons settling in Britain.
The totals quoted in reply to the second part of the question thus
do not include those who come only as visitors or students.
/Nor
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