TNAG-1279-FCO40-1630-Repatriation-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 31

DSR 11C

CONFIDENTIAL

attitudes further in an effort to establish whether they

would in fact be prepared to accept returned refugees and

if so, what scale of punishment they contemplated.

4.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

He made the following points:

Hong Kong continue to accept responsibility as a

place of first asylum as agreed at the Geneva

Conference of 1979. But resettlement countries

are increasingly shirking the responsibilities

leaving Hong Kong with a hard core of refugees

they cannot resettle.

The numbers now in Hong Kong (over 12,000) are

higher than at the same date a year ago and given

the prospect of a new influx in the summer, a

significant net increase in numbers is expected

during 1983.

public opinion in Hong Kong sees the Vietnamese as

illegal immigrants arriving from economic motives

rather than as political refugees. It is

increasingly difficult for the Hong Kong

Government to justify treating Vietnamese

differently from illegal immigrants from China who

are sent back against their will if caught.

forcible repatriation would only apply to new

arrivals after due warning had been given, and

could only take place if credible guarantees

against harsh treatment could be obtained, and

if we were not faced with unreasonable demands by

the Vietnamese for a quid pro quo.

CONFIDENTIAL