TNAG-1392-FCO40-1864-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 167

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:

simple machinery,

and

simultaneously to

alleviate boredom while they

wait for resettlement, thus reducing the likelihood of friction and

violence. I t may be possible to step up

or otherwise improve these activities. Opportunities for employment in the closed centres are limited. (Open centre

centre refugees are of

course free to seek outside employment). It might be possible to provide more optional, paid

work within the centres without harming the overall deterrent

message of the closed centre policy provided the resources of land

and capital investment were available. The Hong Kong Government

how they can provide refugees with

are

now considering further

skills sought by resettlement

countries.

iii) Use of Bataan Refugee Processing Centre (RPC) by the UK. If (eg as a result of the SCORRI enquiry) HMG decide

to take a large

number of Vietnamese from Hong Kong on a continuing basis, it would be logical to consider making use of the Bataan facilities for those

selected for resettlement here. The aim of such a scheme would be

to reduce the problems involved in integrating refugees upon arrival in the UK, by means of intensive "orientation" courses in Bataan S

purpose built facilities.

Department have indicated

of the RPC, would welcome

and might be prepared to

resettlement cases

Preliminary soundings of the US State

that the US Government, a s the major user

a decision by HMG to use the facilities,

share some of the costs of training UK

I f we were to decide to pursue

in the centre.

this, the next stage would be to consult UNHCR, who run and maintain

the RPC.

iv)

The calling of another international Indo-Chinese refugees.

conference on

There are two problems about this. The first is that we are not at

present able to take an initiative given our

The second i s

as a whole

that given that the Vietnamese

now much less acute than it was

is

low resettlement rate.

refugee problem taken

in 1979, we see little

prospect that a call for a conference would receive interest and

support

from

other

countries

involved.

Potential refugee

resettlement countries are heavily preoccupied with other more

immediate problems, notably

from Afghanistan.

the famine

in

Africa and

the exodus

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