TNAG-1185-FCO40-1487-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 38

CONFIDENTIAL

Record of a meeting at Government House, Hong Kong on Friday 9 December 1982

The Lord Belstead

Mr A E Donald

PS/Lord Belstead

The Governor

Attorney General

Secy for Security

PS/The Governor

Vietnamese Refugees

Secretary for Security outlined the history to the

VR population and, against the background of the significant level of legal immigration from China, his concern that Hong

Kong could not continue to accept VRS if there was no

prospect for their resettlement. The situation was

exacerbated by the fact that Hong Kong repatriated ethnic Chinese who entered Hong Kong illegally and that there was

little sympathy among the community for VRS who had no connection with Hong Kong. He proposed that Hong Kong

should enter into bilateral talks with the Vietnamese to

explore the possibility of repatriating new arrivals to

Vietnam. He added that very few of the arrivals were

political refugees and thus that, if a policy of involuntary

repatriation were to be adopted, Hong Kong would be acting

within the terms of the U.N. Conventions.

2.

Lord Belstead said that he was grateful for having had the opportunity to see at first hand the VR problem in

Hong Kong. He could not now commit HMG but would take up

the matter on his return to London. He Stressed that any

policy of involuntary repatriation would have to take full

account of the U.N. Conventions.

3.

Secretary for Security said that the advice of Executive Council would have to be sought in due course but, before doing so, the views of HMG would be sought.

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CONFIDENTIAL