TNAG-1068-FCO40-1318-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1981 — Page 70

Mr Williamson

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Mr Morrice

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1 1 MAY 1981

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MEETING WITH HOME OFFICE OFFICIALS ON 7 MAY:

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

1. Mr Clift asked for a note on the proposal that Hong Kong should pay the costs of an Ockenden Venture Resettlement Centre for sponsored refugees after the existing UK quota is filled.

2.

This subject was raised by the Governor during his meeting with the Secretary of State on 10 March. Subsequent moves are set out in Mr Ford's FCO Telegram Number 294 and Hong Kong Telegram Number 515 in reply. The question was also discussed in Hong Kong during Lord Carrington's visit when there was some doubt as to whether this proposal would provide a sufficient outflow to the UK in order to satisfy other recipient countries.

3.

Both Lord Carrington (in his meeting with the Governor) and Mr Stitt have pointed out that sponsorship does not in itself resolve the problems of unemployment, housing, health care and supplementary benefit. The Home Office will presumably also wish to know whether enough refugees will come forward in Hong Kong to justify such a sponsorship scheme (paragraph 4 of FCO Telegram Number 294).

6 May 1981

Martin A. Searle

M A Searle

Hong Kong and General Department

CODE 18-77

$$ 8/78

Mr Morrice

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Mr Williamson

cc Mr Stitt, SEAD

1. I attended the meeting on 7 May. Besides Mr Ford and myself, the following were present: Mr Hindley, Assistant Secretary; Mr Goddard, Principal; and Mr Spence from the Immigration and Nationality Department of the Home Office.

2. Mr Ford outlined Hong Kong's tentative ideas on two points. He stressed that these were not intended to pre-empt any political decision on a future quota but as contingency exploration of ways in which the UK programme might be continued with the minimum political difficulty.

Family Reunions

3. One possibility would be to widen the interpretation or

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