TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 232

ch

ET MON

Dear Peater

From: THE PRIVATE SECRETARY

HKO

Ps/mrhuce Siw Harling

Dr Wiben,

Rego Pl Copy

to SEDAD LIND

HOME OFFICE

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

LONDON SWIH 9AT

th

14

August 1985

© enter SCORRI. awitly.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

42

139

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 mouendy

Willia

W R FITTALL

МКК 24.312

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

16 A!!G 1985

PF Ricketts, Esq.

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