TNAG-1418-FCO40-1901-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 116

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CALL ON MR LEVER BY MR VON ARNIM, UNHCR'S UK REPRESENTATIVE

2 MAY, 11 A.M.

THURSDAY

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG : SCORRI REPORT

POINTS TO MAKE

FKK 243/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTHY

07 MAY 1985

DESK DICER

INDEX

T

REGISTRY Action Taken

(74)

1. General

Our initial response must be to Parliament.

Decision on form of

reply rests with Home Office: likely to opt for white paper.

2.

Closed Camp Policy

We do not envisage being able to relax policy until outflow from Vietnam reduces to a trickle. Hong Kong Government feel very

strongly about this and are firmly supported by Hong Kong public.

3.

Kong

Relaxation of family reunion criteria : UK offtake from Hong

A matter for the Home Office. We shall be discussing this with t over coming weeks. SCORRI suggests 500 be resettled here from Ho Kong to encourage other countries to do more. Does UNHCR have an

views on this? Will 500 do the trick?

4.

Recommendation that Hong Kong should absorb refugees from ope

camps

Very difficult for Hong Kong. Strong public resentment of speci treatment for Vietnamese, when Chinese illegal immigrants are * repatriated daily, despite having close family links with Hong Chinese. Only possible to envisage as part of international to resolve Hong Kong's refugee problem by sharing its burdens.

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