[
布政司署
香港下亞
畢道
* OUR REF.: (20) in SCR 48/4821/79
*YOUR Ref.:
R.D. Clift, Esq.
Hong Kong and General Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
ENGLAND
ENTER MUCH 243/2 (47)
apa.
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
8th April, 1983
see €1
Mr. lift has seen. Draft
reply circulated to SEAD,
MVD for comments.
UND & MVD for
60
거래
Ship Rescue: M.V. Poyang
HKK 243/1 (101) 1982.
Bim Davies wrote to you on 28 May 1982 seeking resettlement for those refugees from the Poyang still in Hong Kong. Thereafter we have periodically asked to know the current position regarding HMG's consideration of this admittedly difficult case, and have been advised that the Poyang was still the subject of corres- pondence between the Home Office and yourselves. When Patrick Williamson visited Geneva in October last year to attend the annual UNHCR Executive Committee gathering, he also spoke to Roy McDowell about the case, and subsequently wrote to him to summarise the difficult position that the Poyang has continued to place us in (his letter of 9 November 1982, copied to Richard Hoare, refers). After a further pause we received Roy's reply early this year saying that the Home Office were unable to agree to take any of the residual Poyang refugees. A copy of his letter is attached.
2.
HICK
24311289 x1982
We deliberately delayed releasing the Home Office decision because the Australians were considering eleven Poyang cases for resettlement, and we were afraid that the decision might cause them to withdraw their interest. The Australians eventually accepted these eleven and we were able to inform the UNHCR of the Home Office decision by letter on 2 March.
3.
The UNHCR has now replied that they will not accept the future maintenance costs of the eleven remaining cases. More important, they say that they are no longer prepared to seek resettlement for them. They argue that, as the UNHCR adheres to the principle of the responsibility of the flag state for the protection and resettlement of asylum seekers at sea, it would jeopardise its credibility if it were to continue to deal with the Poyang cases.
4.
We are left in a difficult position. Of the 42 who arrived on the Poyang, 31 have been resettled by countries other than the UK on the grounds that they had relatives there. The eleven remaining cases do not so qualify. If we, rather than UNHCR, then try to get them resettled in other countries, we will stimulate the
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