GR 1000
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK203/5 00
CONFIDENTIAL RECEIVED IN MOSOY NO.
2 5 FEB 1983
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See 18 See 23 See 24
CH3/3 Seel
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FM HONG KONG 230935Z FEB 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 263 OF 23 FEBRUARY
INDEX
PA
NO
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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON
HANOI TELNO 37 TO FCO: REPATRIATION OF VIETNAMESE.
TO SUMMARISE OUR PRESENT DIFFICULT POSITION, THERE IS NO CLEAR EVIDENCE YET IN TERMS OF ARRIVALS THAT THE CLOSED CAMPS ARE ACTING AS A DETERRENT. WHILE ARRIVALS SINCE OCTOBER HAVE BEEN LOWER THAN IN 1981/82, VIRTUALLY ALL PROFESS IGNORANCE OF THE CLOSED CAMPS. WE WILL HAVE A BETTER IDEA NEXT MONTH WHEN THE WEATHER WILL START TO FAVOUR MOVEMENT BY BOAT BETWEEN VIETNAM AND HONG KONG.
2. MOREOVER, RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES ARE HOLDING OUT POOR PROSPECTS FOR 1983. WE WILL BE LUCKY TO AVERAGE 250 DEPARTURES A MONTH (A RATE WHICH AT BEST WOULD INVOLVE MORE THAN FOUR YEARS TO RESETTLE OUR PRESENT VRS). THE US CONSUL GENERAL HAS HINTED UNAMBIGUOUSLY THAT THE US WILL NOT INCREASE ITS INTAKE UNLESS HONG KONG CLOSES THE DOOR TO ARRIVALS. THE AMERICANS ARGUE THAT MOST OF THE PRESENT ARRIVALS DO NOT (NOT) FALL WITHIN THE UNHCR'S DEFINITION OF ''REFUGEE''. (WE ESTIMATE THAT AT LEAST 80 PERCENT OF INCOMING VIETNAMESE ARE NOW IN FACT ''ECONOMIC IMMIGRANTS'').
3. GIVEN THAT HONG KONG HAS ALREADY ABSORBED 14,000 FROM VIETNAM (PROBABLY THE HIGHEST PER HEAD OF THE POPULATION OF ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD) AND GIVEN THE HARD ATTITUDE WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO ADOPT ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA, IN THE LIGHT OF THE CHANGE IN THE ATTITUDE OF THE AMERICANS IT IS EVEN MORE CRUCIAL FOR AT LEAST AN ATTEMPT TO BE MADE TO CLOSE THE DOOR.
4. WE BELIEVE THE DOOR SHOULD AND CAN BE SHUT BY RECOGNISING THAT MOST ARRIVALS ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, AND BY TREATING THEM AS SUCH. WE PROPOSE TO ADOPT THE SAME MEASURES TO DEAL WITH THIS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PROBLEM AS WE DO WITH OUR CHINESE AND OTHER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND AS OTHER PLACES DO WITH THEIRS. THE APPLICATION WE ARE CONSIDERING AS FAR AS THE VIETNAMESE ARE CONCERNED WOULD BE:
A) ON INTERCEPTION, VIETNAMESE BOATS WOULD BE WARNED THAT IF THEY
WISHED TO ENTER OUR WATERS, WE WOULD RETURN THEM TO THEIR OWN COUNTRY SPEEDILY AND SAFELY.
B) BOATLOADS THAT THEN DO ENTER WOULD BE HELD AS ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS WHILE ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR REPATRIATION
BY CHARTERED AIRCRAFT. ANYONE WHO COULD ESTABLISH A GOOD CASE FOR ASYLUM WOULD NOT BE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY. AS WOULD BE THE CASE WITH AN IMMIGRANT CLAIMING ASYLUM FROM ELSEWHERE,
CONFIDENTIAL
/IF
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