TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 199

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Hong Kong, to EC and other Europe an countries, and also to

potential resettlement countries in the Commonwealth. On a

multilateral basis, HMG is very ready to accept UNHCR's offer to

use their services to secure additional contributions from other

countries.

3.

HMG and the HKG share the Committee's desire to see the

number of long-stayers in Hong Kong reduced. Many of these

refugees have been rejected for resettlement on more than one

occasion, and it is not easy

to persuade resettlement countries to look again at their cases. However we shall continue to try

to persuade other countries

to include long-stayers among the

numbers they accept.

1.

Recommendation 6:

Vietnamese

The FCO should make resolution of Hong Kong's

refugee problem a major priority in its dealings with

foreign governments.

As the Committee have already been assured, the FCO will

accord a high priority to finding a solution to this problem. I t is prepared to devote great effort to its diplomatic offensive to

persuade other countries to accept for resettlement more

refugees from Hong Kong, and thus to maximise the

effect of HMG's own commitment.

Luce told the

Sub-Committee, the

to try to obtain

It i s to be hoped that

Vietnamese

As Mr

objective of the FCO must be to try to

a durable solution as fast as possible. the refugee problem in Hong Kong will be solved well before 1997. The need for urgent action is underlined by the increasingly long

periods that the refugees are having to spend in the camps.

Besides the hopelessness and frustration that this engenders

among the refugees themselves, we recognise that it may also

increase their problems of integration when they are eventually

resettled. Moreover, as the FCO's memorandum of evidence to the

Committee

explained (Ev., p129), the Chinese population in

the special treatment

the se

Hong Kong i s increasingly resentful of

accorded to Vietnamese refugees. For

determined to take swift steps countries to

to accept further refugees.

to attempt

reasons HMG are

to persuade other

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