TNAG-1392-FCO40-1864-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 212

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For all these reasons

there is

will lead sooner or later to a

obtaining now.

a strong probabililty that inaction

very much worse situation than that

VI OPTIONS

14.

Following is an

examination of options by which we might try to

theoretical than real and are

(A) reduce the rate of arrival, (B) increase the rate of

of departure.

Some of these options are

included for the sake of completeness.

Ministers in the past.

A.

more

Some have been rejected by

Options designed to reduce the rate of arrival

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

Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and

and Brunei have all done this

(though there have

have been few reports

reports of such action recently). The

Hong Kong Government have contingency plans for towing vessels with

illegal immigrants or refugees outside the limits of Hong Kong's

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

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

an effective deterrent to

act as

is that it would undoubtedly

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

would involve inflicting unacceptable risks on the occupants of the

boats and would be indefensible in terms of common humanity, and our

obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights. Ministers decided against adopting such a course

in March

1984.

A

CONFIDENTIAL