TNAG-1274-FCO40-1624-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 239

Mac Hoare D 243/1

Miy Walker.

CALL ON UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES BY MR D G JEAFFRESON

ONG KONG SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, GENEVA, 6 JULY 1983

Presents

НКК 243//

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

18 JUL 1983

DESK C

INDEX

CEF

REGISTRY

Potion Taken

Ати

Mr Hartling

Mr I Simmington Mr J Anvar

Mr A Casella

Mr Jeaffreson Dame Anne Warburton

Mr C W Long

Mr B D Adams

Pa

Mr Jeaffreson summarised Hong Kong's present refugee problems. The case-load of 9,000 in March 1982 had now increased to over 13,000. 700 had arrived in June. Only about 350 a month were being resettled. Of the 5,000 who had arrived since July 1982, and were accommodated in the closed camps, only 700 had been resettled. The continual increase in numbers was of great concern, and there was strong political pressure on the Hong Kong Government.

2. The reduction in the number of resettlement places was very disappointing. 99% of the arrivals in Hong Kong were from North Vietnam: ethnic Vietnamese, illiterate farmers and fishermen who did not fit into the current criteria applied by the major resettlement countries. They came for economic reasons.

The closed camp policy did not in practice deter them. Some resettlement countries said that these people were not refugees. Hong Kong was small and overcrowded, and already accepted 27,000 legal immigrants from China each year. By agreement with China, all illegal immigrants were sent back. This caused difficulty with Hong Kong residents who resented seeing Vietnamese allowed in while their own relatives were rejected. What about repatriation to Vietnam? Was this a possibility? Hong Kong were doing all they can to make the world aware of their current difficulties. Dr Stumpf's efforts to settle refugees in French Guiana had failed. Thanking the High Commissioner for his efforts to find places for refugees in Hong Kong (and welcoming the recent Swedish offer) he said that the Hong Kong Government would be grateful for the High Commissioner's advice on further action.

3. Mr Hartling said that Hong Kong had an excellent reputation for its treatment of refugees. No refugee had ever been refouled from Hong Kong. Sir Murray Maclehose had said that UNHCR's preoccupation with settling refugees from other countries in the area "punished the good boys": but this was not so. UNHCR had tried hard for Hong Kong in the past and would continue to do so. They continually urged resettlement countries to take refugees from Hong Kong, especially categories such as the handicapped. During his visit to London in April he had asked UK Ministers to set an example to the main resettlement countries by taking a further allocation of refugees from Hong Kong. The response had been disappointingly negative. On the status of people arriving in Hong Kong, he said that the international community had agreed that boat people must be treated as refugees. On repatriation, he hoped that Vietnam would one day accept some returnees, but this was still remote. There were now 46,000 boat people left in eight first asylum countries. 1.2m had already been resettled. This further number could easily be accommodated if the international community decided to do so, although the effect might be to attract yet more illegal departures from Vietnam.

(08)

14.