TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 114

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CONFIDENTIAL

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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

10 SEP 1985

REGISTRY

Action Taken

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG: REPORT OF THE HOME AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE ON RACE RELATIONS AND IMMIGRATION (SCORRI)

1.

At the end of September (probably 26 September) the Home Office will be publishing a White Paper responding to the recommendations in SCORRI's recent report "Refugees and Asylum with Special Reference to the Vietnamese".

The White Paper

will announce inter alia HMG's decision to accept for resettlement in the UK some 500 refugees from camps in Hong Kong who have relatives in this country but who have hitherto fallen outside the Home Office's immigration criteria for family reunion.

2. Immediately after publication of the White Paper, and also in response to the SCORRI recommendations, Ministers have decided that we should make a major effort to persuade other countries also to offer additional resettlement places to Vietname s e refugees from Hong Kong. The main countries we shall be approaching are: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, EC and other Western European countries. (The first three already take refugees from Hong Kong on a regular basis. They have been reluctant to take more in the absence of initiative to accept a new intake. present take only small numbers of on an irregular basis.)

to

a k The other countries listed at refugees from Hong Kong, and

3. We shall be issuing a guidance telegram and instructing posts

approach their host governments as soon as the report i s published. We also wish to take advantage of any suitable opportunities that may arise at bilateral or multilateral meetings to raise with representatives of the countries listed

CONFIDENTIAL