TNAG-1417-FCO40-1900-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 145

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HOME AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE ON RACE RELATIONS

AND IMMIGRATION: INQUIRY INTO REFUGEES

BRIEFING FOR ORAL EVIDENCE TO BE GIVEN BY

MR LUCE, 21 JANUARY 1985

I

1.

Opening Remarks

Grateful to Committee for giving me opportunity of

putting across FCO's views on aspects of inquiry for which

we are responsible. I consider our responsibility to be

twofold:

i

ii

2.

For diplomatic action in conjunction with UNHCR

and other governments over the Vietnamese refugee

problem

ie governments of resettlement countries,

first asylum countries and the Vietnamese Government

itself.

The

For Hong Kong, a British dependent territory. We

have recently reaffirmed, in the context of the agreement

on the territory's future, that we retain full responsibility for its administration up to 1997.

people of Hong Kong will be looking to us, at a very

sensitive time in their history, for clear evidence

that our commitment to them is undiminished. This

commitment must clearly include responsibility for

the territory's severe problem of nearly 12,000

unresettled refugees.

I would like to outline briefly a few developments

which have occurred since our memorandum was drafted in

October 1984. These relate particularly to exchanges with

other Governments and UNHCR officials about the likely effect

of a decision by HMG to admit more Vietnamese refugees from

Hong Kong a matter about which the Committee I know has

already expressed interest.

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