CONFIDENTIAL
done file,
101
© P1. Copy to Mr Nosh SEAD
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01-
233 3184
Mr Core UND
Dr Wilson $5 four Luce Sir W. Harding.
IN.76.
C pa 243/ SCORRI
Your reference
Our reference
Date
7 June 1985
GH Phillips Esa
Immigration and Nationality Dept
Home Office
Lunar House
Wellesly Road
CROYDON CR9 2BY
Dean Hayden,
VI ETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG
1.
You will have seen telegram number 1034 from Hong Kong, which contained the Hong Kong Executive Council's formal advice to the Governor on the recommendations in the SCORRI Report. (Copy enclosed for ease of reference).
2.
It would have been better if we had recieved these recommendations before the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary sent his minute of 20 May to the Home Secretary. We were not at that stage aware that formal advice from Hong Kong was under consideration. However, having considered the recommendations, FCO Ministers see no need to alter the recommendations made in the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary's minute. The EXCO advice does however underline the need to do more than take just the family re-union cases.
3. EXCO also recommend that we should take a proportion of the long-stayers in the camps. As you will know, this was also a point made forcibly by Mr Hartling to Mr Luce (copy of record of meeting enclosed) and I believe also to Mr Waddington. If it is agreed that we should take further numbers of refugees beyond the family re-union cases, we should wish to look carefully at the possibility of taking some of the long-stayers in that context. We were impressed with Mr Hartlings argument that taking predominantly long-stayers would reduce any "pull" effect which large-scale resettlement might otherwise have on inducing other potential refugees to leave Vietnam.
4. Finally, you will see from Hong Kong's telegram that the Executive Council have shown some welcome signs of flexibility on the question of SCORRI's recommendation that Hong Kong should accept for settlement a proportion of the ethnic Chinese from the open refugee camps. It is clear though that this will depend very much on what HMG and other countries are prepared to do to help.
MKK 243/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
12 JUN 1985
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A C Galsworthy
Hong Kong Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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