TNAG-1417-FCO40-1900-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 100

(a)

DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES

d)

Whether or not there have been discussions with other

resettlement countries on their willingness to take additional

refugees if the UK accepted around 100, and if so, whether these

discussions are viewed optimistically.

We fully recognise our special responsibility as the sovereign power in Hong Kong and have had extensive contacts with other

resettlement countries, as indicated in part II of our memorandum

and in my introductary remarks today. But we have not been able

to discuss numbers with other Government's pending a decision here

about providing a further quota. We do not believe that we can go to other governments with hypothetical offers which we are not able later to put into action. We should be accused of misleading

them.

The Sub-Committee will have received from the American Embassy

and from the Australian High Commission statements of their

Governments' positions. These reflect closely the responses we

have had from these two Governments and from the governments of the other major resettlement countries. May I quote from the

American submission:

7

"The low levels of resettlement of refugees in the UK in recent years increases the difficulties of justifying additional resettle- ment in the United States and elsewhere. A stronger effort on the part of HMG to resettle Indo-Chinese refugees out of Hong Kong would be viewed positively by the United States. Without an

effort to substantially increase UK off-take from Hong Kong, the US Government is unlikely to review its current policies and practice regarding acceptance of these refugees above the levels currently projected for the current fiscal year."

And from the Australian submission:

"Australia is concerned that the United Kingdom has effectively

ceased taking refugees from Hong Kong for settlement in Britain. The policy and practice of the United Kingdom in the resettlement

effort has a bearing on resettlement of Indo-Chinese refugees from

17 T

!TI

Vong