TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 215

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IN MIND BUT WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT HK HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED

14,000 FOR RESETTLEMENT AND WITH ITS VERY HIGH DENSITY OF POPULA

TION CANNOT ABSORB ANY MORE (EVEN THOUGH IT WILL CONTINUE TO ACT

AS A PLACE OF FIRST ASYLUM).

6. THOMAS COULD ADD THAT WE ARE STILL CONCERNED THAT MANY

BOAT-PEOPLE CLEARLY CONSIDERED REFUGEES BY THE UNHCR, HMG AND M

MANY OTHERS, ARE STUCK IN HONG KONG BECAUSE OF INCREASINGLY

STRICT ADMISSIONS CRITERIA SET BY RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. WE

HAVE NOTED RECENT REPORTS THAT WHILE A QUOTA OF 64,000 WAS SET

FOR THE USA THIS YEAR, IT IS UNLIKELY NOW TO BE FILLED. IF

THIS ALONE WERE DONE, HONG KONG'S REFUGEE PROBLEM COULD BE

SIGNIFICANTLY ALLEVIATED.

7. OTHER ADDRESSEES SHOULD, AT THEIR DISCRETION, APPROACH

GOVERNMENTS AT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL AND SAY THAT WE HAVE ONLY

RECENTLY HEARD OF THE FORTHCOMING HONOLULU CONFERENCE. WHILE

QUITE UNDERSTANDING WHY WE HAVE NOT BEEN INVITED, WE HOPE THAT,

IN LOOKING AT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO THE S E ASIA REFUGEE

PROBLEMS, OUR CONCERN FOR HONG KONG'S POSITION, AND THE

CONSIDERATIONS IN PARAS 4 AND 5 ABOVE, CAN BE TAKEN FULLY INTO

ACCOUNT.

HOWE

BOAT PEOPLE

LIMINUED

SEAD

HKD

UND

FED

PUSD

NEWS D MAED PS

PS/LADY YOUNG PS/MR LUCE PS/PUS

MR WRIGHT MR GIFFARD MR DONALD

MR ADAMS

MR URE

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ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION

BOAT PEOPLE

Copies To

HKGO, LONDON

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