TNAG-1417-FCO40-1900-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 80

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(C) IN THE LATE 1960S AND EARLY 1970S, LARGE NUMBERS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM NORTH AND SOUTH VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, AND LAOS, CAME

TO HONG KONG ILLEGALLY BY BOAT OR SHIP. THOSE FROM SOUTH VIETNAM

WHO SURFACED BEFORE 1975 WERE RETURNED. THE REST COULD NOT BE

RETURNED, AND WERE ALLOWED TO STAY.

2. COMMENTS ON DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE ARE:

OPENING REMARKS

-

IT IS NOT CORRECT TO US THE TERM

'VIETNAMESE REFUGEES' TO DESCRIBE THE 14,000 DISPLACED INDOCHINESE

ABSORBED BY HONG KONG SINCE 1975. SUGGEST THAT THE LAST SENTENCE

OF PARA 4 BE AMENDED TO READ WE HAVE CONTINUED TO POINT OUT

TO THE MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES THAT THE RECORD OF THE UK AND

HONG KONG IN ACCEPTING 19,000 VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND 14,000

DISPLACED INDO-CHINESE RESPECTIVELY IS AN EXTREMELY GOOD ONE.''

QUESTION (E), PAGE 11

SUGGEST THAT THE FINAL SENTENCE BE AMENDED

TO READ CLEARLY, INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION WOULD BE REPUGNANT

UNLESS WE WERE FULLY SATISFIED THAT THOSE RETURNED WERE NOT GENUINE

REFUGEES AND WOULD NOT BE MALTREATED IF RETURNED.

QUESTION (F), PAGE 12 AS CAN BE SEEN FROM THE ARRIVAL STATISTICS ABOVE, THE PERCENTAGES QUOTED SHOULD BE AMENDED. THE SECOND SENTENCE

SHOULD READ '1983 ARRIVALS 53 PER CENT LESS THAN 1982, 1984 39

PER CENT LESS THAN 1983 (COMPARED WITH SE ASIAN REGIONAL DECREASES

OF ONLY 36 PER CENT AND 11 PER CENT IN THE SAME YEARS).''

QUESTION (G), PAGE 13

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THE SECOND PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE AMENDED TO

READ CLOSED CENTRES RUN IN CO-OPERATION WITH UNHCR WHO CURRENTLY

PAY ONE-THIRD OF THE ANNUAL CASH EXPENDITURE (HK DOLLARS 20 MILLION

OUT OF A TOTAL OF HK DOLLARS 60 MILLION IN 1984). THE FIGURE FOR

THE TOTAL COST TO HONG KONG WAS HK DOLLARS 110 MILLION.''

QUESTION (E), PAGE 18 · FINAL PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE CHANGED BY

DELETING THE SECOND SENTENCE VIZ: ''WE ACCEPT THAT REPATRIATION

COULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS.'' THIS SENTENCE

DOES NOT REFLECT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT POSITION AND, IN ANY EVENT,

IT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE ARGUMENT ELSEWHERE IN THE SPEAKING

NOTE THAT CREDIBLE ASSURANCES WOULD BE SOUGHT BEFORE ANYONE WAS

RETURNED TO VIETNAM, SINCE SUCH ASSURANCES WOULD CLEARLY BE UNNECESS-

ARY IN THE CASE OF VOLUNTEERS.

-

SUGGEST THAT THE

POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS IN HONG KONG, PAGE 22

FIRST CAUSE OF RESENTMENT BE AMENDED TO READ BECAUSE OF THE DRAIN

ON LAND AND OTHER RESOURCES WHICH COULD OTHERWISE BE USED FOR THEIR

OWN BENEFIT. SUGGEST THAT THE SECOND CAUSE OF RESENTMENT BE

DELETED VIZ: ''BECAUSE (WITH REGARDS TO THOSE IN OPEN CAMPS) OF THE

IMPACT OF VIETNAMESE ON THE LOCAL LABOUR MARKET''. THIS FACTOR IS

NOT (NOT) A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF LOCAL RESENTMENT.

YOUDE

MINIMAL

HKD SEAD UND

2 RESTRICTED

GOPIES TO

HKGO