TNAG-1179-FCO40-1481-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 86

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Mr Clift, Hong Kong & General Dept.

cc: Mr Elliott, FED

Mr Donald or.

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CALL ON THE LORD PRIVY SEAL BY SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE

Sir Philip Haddon-Cave called on the Lord Privy Seal for half an hour today.

1.

Future of Hong Kong

2. He commented that he regarded as encouraging the results of the Lord Privy Seal's talks in Peking with Chinese leaders. Premier Zhao's remark to the Lord Privy Seal were the first time the Chinese had used the date 1997: they had at least realised now that we took a juridical view of the future of Hong Kong. Given that the Chinese must have an interest in avoiding the collapse of Hong Kong we could continue to emphasise the certainty (not uncertainty) of the situation which would arise after that date.

Vietnamese

Cambodian Refugees

3. Sir Philip Haddon-Cave expressed concern about Cambodian Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong. He accepted that in the end there would be a residue who would have to become permanent Hong Kong residents.

It was hard to define exactly when that residue existed. The inflow of refugees remained greater than the outflow. The particular political problem for Hong Kong was that the natural rate of growth of the Hong Kong population was about equal to the influx of legal immigrants from China, which would be unlikely to stop. One new particular class of immigrants (even if the numbers involved were relatively insignificant) focussed attention on one of Hong Kong's main problems and created/disproportionate amount of local criticism. Speaking entirely personally he acknowledged that Hong Kong would have to continue its policy of passive acceptance of Cambodian refugees. But he was becoming seriously attracted by changing the open-camp policy to the use of closed camps. He Saw two advantages:

a) this would help to define the 'residue'

b)

this would act asa disincentive to potential Vietnamese Cambodian refugees.

an

The simple fact was that Hong Kong remained/agreeable and attractive magnet for people throughout South Asia.

4.

The Lord Privy Seal said that there was no prospect of an increase in the UK quota. He thought it particularly important that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees should take a leading role in

/persuading

CONFIDENTIAL