TNAG-1224-FCO40-1537-Visits-to-the-UK-by-official-and-unofficial-members-of-the-E-1983 — Page 87

SECRET

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UK Policy on Resettlement

9.

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including

have been

Following the Geneva Conference on Refugees in 1979 HMG

announced that they would accept 10,000 boat people from Hong Kong

for resettlement in the UK. To date over 16,000

dependants and those rescued by British shipping accepted here. The UK also continues to accept ship rescue

and close family reunion cases and others to whom it is committed

is under the Orderly Departure Programme (ODP). The ODP an arrangement whereby the UNHCR process applications from people

wishing to leave Vietnam for third countries). However resettlement

in the UK has not been particularly successful. Moreover the Home

Office is under constant pressure to resettle refugees from

elsewhere (eg Poland, Iran). Mr Pym wrote to Mr Whitelaw in

February to ask if anything can be done to alleviate HongKong's position. Mr Whitelaw replied that he could not agree to any

further concessions.

Repatriation

10.

During Lord Belstead's visit to Hong Kong in December 1982 he

was asked by the Hong Kong Government to investigate the possibility

of involuntary repatriation to Vietnam of newly arriving boat

people, many of whom they believe to be economic migrants rather than genuine refugees. This idea was carefully considered by FCO Ministers, but rejected: we were unlikely to get any satisfactory

assurances from the Vietnamese that those returned would not be mistreated instructed, and making an approach to a regime with such a poor

human rights record would leave HMG open to criticism.

Future Prospects

11.

We have been exploring the possibility of a multilateral

approach to the Vietnamese Government, which would aim to persuade them to give more prominence to the Orderly Departure Programme, and

thereby to stop the outflow of refugees from Vietnam.

The response by other Governments has been lukewarm.

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