TNAG-1418-FCO40-1901-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 150

CONFIDENTIAL

PAR start better

58

tha foms than

243/2

RECEIVED IN REGÍSTRY

2 1 APR 1985

GRS 1800 CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 290235Z MAR 85

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

TELEGRAM NUMBER 264 OF 29 MARCH

DEEK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

AND TO ROUTINE HONG KONG REP BRUSSELS, GENEVA (CARTLAND), HKGO NEW

YORK (DORWARD), HKGO WASHINTON.

INFO ROUTINE F C 0.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES : GUIDANCE NOTE.

AT THE RECENT MEETING OF HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICERS FROM OVERSEAS OFFICES IN HONG KONG YOU REQUESTED SOME BACKGROUND ON THE PRESENT SITUATION REGARDING VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND, IN PARTICULAR, OUR REACTION TO THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCAL INTEGRATION.

2. THE REFUGEE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG DATES BACK TO 1975, WHEN SOUTH VIETNAM FELL. THE FIRST GROUP OF REFUGEES TO ARRIVE IN HONG KONG WERE THE 3,745 ON BOARD THE CLARA MAERSK, IN MAY 1975. THEREAFTER, REFUGEES CONTINUED TO ARRIVE AND THE TRICKLE OF THE FOLLOWING YEARS TURNED INTO A FLOOD IN THE FIRST 7 MONTHS' OF 1979, WHEN 66,045 ARRIVED.

3. IN JULY 1979, AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE INDO-CHINESE BOAT REFUGEE PROBLEM WAS CONVENED BY THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL IN GENEVA. THE CONFERENCE ITSELF, AND THE UNHCR'S DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VIETNAMESE JUST DEFORE IT, PRODUCED WHAT WAS CALLED A BALANCED PLAN OF ACTION, WHICH COMPRISED :

(A) THE PROVISIONS OF TEMPORARY ASYLUM BY COUNTRIES OF FIRST ARRIVAL:

(B) SUPPORT FOR UNHCR BY THIRD COUNTRIES PROVIDING FUNDS AND RESETTLEMENT PLACES: AND

(C) RESTRAINT BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT ON ILLEGAL DEPARTURES.

4. WESTERN PLEDGES TO PROVIDE RESETTLEMENT FOR THE BOAT PEOPLE WERE GREATLY FACILITATED BY THE GENERAL PRESUMPTION THAT ALL PERSONS THEN LEAVING VIETNAM ILLEGALLY WERE REFUGEES. THE FACT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY WERE ETHNIC CHINESE, WHO FLED VIETNAM TO AVOID POLITICAL - PERSECUTION, GIVE CREDENCE TO THIS PRESUMPTION.

1 CONFIDENTIAL

THY

Taken

Page 150Page 151