TNAG-0971-FCO40-1190-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1980 — Page 150

CODE 18-77

Mr Willigh

Sw.

Mr Morrice

Mr Clift

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ant

say

why there

during the scammed Eveidays.

is

Reference...

a Conchitial i cantage

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us mot & require expulsating?

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

23/CC: Mr Stitt, SEAD

НКК 24312

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 0 2 MAY 1980

REGISTRY

1. I attended the meeting in the Home Office chaired by Mr Head yesterday.

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2. We talked first of all about numbers. The Home Office expect about 800 to arrive this month and are still aiming to take all of the 10,000 quota by the end of the year. The "Easter" airlines problem has now been overcome and the only blight on the horizon is that the off-take in July and August is likely to be low because of the traditional shortage of council housing during the summer holidays. I suggested that it would be prudent to warn the Governor of this and Mr Head agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I have therefore mentioned it in the attached draft reply to the Governor's letter of 14 April.

3. On the question of providing more information about the UK for refugees in Hong Kong, the following action is being taken:

(a) two sets of slides with talk-over tapes will arrive in Hong

Kong in the second week in May. One set is for those who have not yet been selected for UK and one for those who have been;

(b) the UNHCR have produced a short film about life for refugees in this country. It was thought that this should already be in Hong Kong, but there was some doubt about this; (c) a brochure, in Chinese and Vietnamese, is to be prepared

quickly explaining such things as housing, employment,

employment, climate etc. in this country.

4. The Home Office is, at the request of the JCVR, to approach the UNHCR about the possibility of their having someone in Hong Kong to provide "non-directive counselling to refugees before they have been selected by a particular country, to explain the various options available to them." This is done at present, but allegedly rather haphazardly and impersonally.

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5. On the specific topic the Governor raised, the meeting felt, and particularly Dr Marshall of the JCVR, that there was little to be gained from this. The refugees need to learn English in a disciplined, classroom setting it is apparently not an easy language for them to learn. And in any case it will not speed up movement from Hong Kong since it is still, and is likely to remain, the supply of council housing which limits resettlement out of camps here and therefore Hong Kong. What it was felt was needed

more information on life here to reduce cultural shock - this is what the measures mentioned in paragraph 3 are designed to do.

22 April 1980

Owvilian

P J Williamson

Hong Kong and General Department

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