TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 160

Dear Pester

THE PRIVAIT. STOK TARY

HKD

P(mrhuce Siw Harling

Dr Wike0

14

HOME OFFICI

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

1

LONDON SWIH 9AT

August 1985

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

Thank you for your letter of 5 August suggesting a form of words for use in response to recommendation 5(iii) of SCORRI's report.

The Home Secretary is broadly content with the approach pro- posed, but he would like to see some modification of the wording, to tie in more specifically to SCORRI's recommendation and to avoid what might be seen as a firm commitment at this stage to take more refugees. The following form of words would meet these points:

"Having regard to the Committee's recommendation

that if necessary and as part of a burden sharing agreement Britain should accept a small share of those who are hard to resettle and have spent years in camps, the Government are prepared to consider accepting, in addition to the family reunion cases, further limited numbers of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. A decision on this will be taken in the light of the willingness shown by other resettlement countries to respond to Hong Kong's needs and of all the circumstances at the time."

The Home Secretary hopes that this minor modification of the wording will be acceptable to the Foreign Secretary.

Yours medy

William

PF Ricketts, Esq.

W R FITTALL