TNAG-1183-FCO40-1485-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 37

153

CONFIDENTIAL

GRS 252

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 061727Z OCT 82

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 821 OF 6 OCTOBER

27564... 2

наи 24311

229

PQ: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

NO

NYPB

22/10

SIR PATRICK WALL HAS PUT DOWN THE FOLLOWING PQS

1.

FOR WRITTEN ANSWER:

2.

(A) WHAT CONCLUSION HAS BEEN REACHED AS TO

WHETHER THE CONFINEMENT IN A CLOSED CAMP

FOR MANY MONTHS IN HONG KONG CONSTITUTES

A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS?

(B)

WHAT PROGRESS IS BEING MADE REGARDING THE

RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES NOW

IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG?

(A) REFERS BACK TO HIS QUESTION ANSWERED ON

26 JULY MY TEL NO 570 REFERS. WE HAVE TODAY WRITTEN TO

A HORNEY-GENERAL EXPLAINING OUR VIEW THAT

A625/0

See (23 4KK243/2

IMMIGRATION (AMENDMENT) 1982 ORDINANCE AND IMMIGRATION (VIETNAMES! REFUGEE CENTRES)

(CLOSED CENTRE) RULES COULD GIVE RISE TO BREACHES OF

INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS.

3.

4.

5.

WE THEREFORE PROPOSE TO REPLY:

THE QUESTION OF WHETHER) THE CONFINEMENT OF REFUGEES IN CLOSED CAMPS (REPRESENTS A BREACH OF OF THE RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS IS)

A IS BEING STUDIED BY HMG AND THE HONG KONG

13090OZ.

INTERNATIONAL

GOVERNMENT IN THE LIGHT OF THE RELEVANT | HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS.

WE PROPOSE FOLLOWING REPLY FOR (B):

'UP TO 12 OCTOBER, THE UNHCR HAD RESETTLED REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG DURING 1982. AT THAT

DATE THERE WERE 1 T Y

X

THERE WERE REFUGEES STILL

IN HONG KONG AWAITING RESETTLEMENT THROUGH THE

UNHCR.'

GRATEFUL FOR UPDATED FIGURES AND COMMENTS BY

241

242

PYM

DISTRIBUTION:

MINIMAL

HKGD

SEAD

CONFIDENTIAL