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assertion that "integration in countries of first asylum, is not a
realistic option except on a small scale" should be welcomed by Hong
Kong. The statement on repatriation shows more flexibility than might have been expected: while saying that "compulsory repatriation could never be countenanced for refugees", it does
distinguish between refugees and economic migrants, and states that
for the latter involuntary repatriation is inconceivable in present
circumstances. The possibility of repatriation at a future date is
not categorically ruled out.
thus not
9.
us.
Britain's role (paras 28-32). This section is helpful to
It supports
our view that other resettlement countries will not do
more to help Hong Kong without a lead from the UK. It acknowledges
the difficulty of extracting firm commitments from those countries
without being able to indicate our own willingness to accept more
(para 32). My only criticism is that it is illusory to suppose
that we could use a decision to take more
more refugees here as a
"bargaining counter" with other countries. We should have to do it
as an act of faith, and use it as а basis to persuade other
countries to help more. Other countries do not owe us anything On
this problem, and we cannot realistically bargain with them.
10. A new intake (paras 33-39). It is disappointing that this
section does not recommend how many refugees Britain should take in
order to persuade others to accept more. It does however hint at a
figure of 500 (para 34). This is the minimum that we would regard
as likely to influence other countries: as I have explained in my
submission of 18 April, we consider that a continuing offtake by the
UK of around 500 a year would be more
more likely to be effective. We
are of course dependent on the Home Office on this, and will have to
await their response before we can approach other countries as
recommended
11.
The
in
para 39(i).
recommendation that Hong Kong should accept for settlement
a proportion of the ethnic Chinese in its open camps (paras 38 and
39 (iv)) will be unpopular in Hong Kong. However the arguments for
this are persuasively presented and are difficult to refute. Our
impression is that the Hong Kong Government might be willing to
consider absorbing some of the refugees, but only as part of a wider
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