CONFIDENTIAL
DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND THE HOME SECRETARY
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
POINTS TO MAKE
1.
Have just seen Governor of Hong Kong. He is seeing you
About 25,000 Vietnamese refugees still
on Thursday afternoon.
in territory. Important to keep up rate of offtake to reduce
social pressures and as insurance against possible future flood
from Vietnam.
2.
Heavily dependent on continuation of US acceptance of about
1,500 refugees a month. Americans have told us that Congressional
pressure will halt or sharply cut that rate if UK does not play
its part in 1981. Other countries could follow suit.
3.
Understand
Our 10,000 quota should be filled by early 1981.
difficulties over refugee programme in this country. Problem in
Hong Kong will become unmanageable if we do not continue the
programme in some form.
4.
Need not be as generous as before. About 5,000 would do.
Could be spread over an unspecified timescale and include boat
rescues.
5.
Hope can announce before end of 1980 that programme would
continue, Need to mention a figure, say 5,000, but this could if
necessary be approximate.
6.
[If pressed] At very least we must avoid any statement
that there will be no future quota. That would be very dangerous.
But Governor badly needs more positive statement than that.
CONFIDENTIAL
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