TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 211

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MIGHT BE TO ENCOURAGE OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE MORE. THERE CAN

OBVIOUSLY BE NO GUARANTEE OF THIS, BUT SUCH A VIEW WOULD SEEM TO BE

SUPPORTED, AS THE SUB-COMMITTEE'S REPORT NOTES, BY THE RESPONSES

FROM THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT,

AND ALSO THAT FROM THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR

REFUGEES (UNHCR). SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATIONS WITH UNHCR

REPRESENTATIVES HAVE REINFORCED THIS VIEW.

2. OUR AGREEMENT TO TAKE AN ADDITIONAL NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE

REFUGEES INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM CAN CLEARLY BE USED AS AN

ARGUMENT TO PERSUADE OTHER COUNTRIES TO MAKE OFFERS OF ADDITIONAL

RESETTLEMENT PLACES. HMG DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTIES

OF ACHIEVING SUCH AN OUTCOME, SINCE THESE COUNTRIES DO NOT OWE US

ANYTHING IN THIS RESPECT. MANY COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY ASSISTED

GENEROUSLY WITH THE RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG AND

HMG AND HKG ARE GRATEFUL FOR THIS HELP. THE FCO WILL, HOWEVER,

PRESS OTHER COUNTRIES AS ACTIVELY AS POSSIBLE, BOTH BILATERALLY

AND MULTILATERALLY, IN ORDER TO MAXIMISE THE IMPACT OF OUR LATEST

DECISION. IN PARTICULAR, APPROACHES WILL BE MADE TO THOSE

COUNTRIES THAT ALREADY TAKE LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES FROM

HONG KONG, TO EC AND OTHER EUROPEAN 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.

BEGIN UNDERLINING. RECOMMENDATION 6: THE FCO SHOULD MAKE

RESOLUTION OF HONG KONG'S VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM A MAJOR

PRIORITY IN ITS DEALINGS WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.

CEASE

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