TNAG-1392-FCO40-1864-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 161

1

CONFIDENTIAL

For

all these reasons

will lead sooner or

there i s

later

a strong probabililty that inactic

to a very much worse situation than tha

obtaining now.

VI OPTIONS

14.

Following is an

examination of options by which we might try t (A) reduce the rate of arrival, (B) increase the rate of departure

Some of these options are more theoretical than real and ar

included for the sake of completeness. Some have been rejected b Ministers in the past.

A.

Options designed to reduce the rate of arrival

15. (a) Tow newly arriving boats out to sea

of

Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei have all done thi

(though there have been few reports

such action recently). Th

Hong Kong Government have contingency plans for towing vessels wit

illegal immigrants or refugees outside the limits of Hong Kong'

waters in an emergency, but have never adopted such a policy i

respect of Vietnamese refugees. The only argument for such a cours

an effective deterrent t

act as

i s that it would undoubtedly

refugees making for Hong Kong. The arguments against are that i

would involve inflicting unacceptable risks on the Occupants of th

and would be indefensible in terms of

common humanity, and Ou

obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Politica

decided against adopting such a course

boats

Rights.

1984.

Ministers

in

Marc

CONFIDENTIAL