TNAG-1419-FCO40-1902-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 241

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 1209452 JUL 85

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1469 OF 18 JULY

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT FROM OPEN CENTRES IN HONG KONG

FOREEKS FROM WOODHOUSE

* Taken

AT YESTERDAY'S RESETTLEMENT MEETING WE MADE A DIRECT AND PERSONAL APPEAL TO EACH OF THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO HELP RESETTLE OPEN

CENTRE REFUGEES. WE EXPLAINED THAT IF THE PRESENT RATE OF

RESETTLEMENT FROM THE OPEN CENTRES (AVERAGING 100 PER MONTH FOR

THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR) WAS TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT

12 MONTHS, THEN IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO CONSIDER COMBINING THE TWO OPEN CENTRES (JUBILEE AND KAI TAK) INTO ONE OPEN CENTRE.

UNHCR IS VERY KEEN THAT THIS SHOULD HAPPEN, BECAUSE IT WILL HELP WITH

ITS MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS AND IT WILL SAVE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF

MONEY. WE ARE SUPPORTING THIS PROPOSAL BECAUSE WE WISH TO MAINTAIN

THE MOMENTUM FOR RESETTLEMENT FROM THE OPEN CENTRES.

2. IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST AT THE PREVIOUS RESETTLEMENT MEETING

WE EXPLAINED OUR VIEWS ON MANAGEABLE NUMBERS IN ONE COMBINED OPEN CENTRE. WE SUGGESTED THAT A COMBINED OPEN CENTRE OF ABOUT 3,400 REFUGEES WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO US.

3. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS TARGET THE PRESENT RESETTLEMENT RATE

OF 100 PER MONTH WOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

WE SUGGESTED THAT HALF OF THIS FIGURE (50 PER MONTH) COULD BE MET

BY THE THREE COUNTRIES WITH ONGOING RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMMES (THE

USA, AUSTRALIA AND CANADA). THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THESE THREE

COUNTRIES AS THE RESETTLEMENT MEETING CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS A

REASONABLE ASSUMPTION. WE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT IF EACH OF THE

REMAINING RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TOOK 50 REFUGEES AT ANY TIME DURING

THE 12 MONTHS, THEN OUR TARGET WOULD BE REALISED. WE MADE A DIRECT

PERSONAL APPEAL TO EACH COUNTRY IN TURN ASKING ITS REPRESENTATIVE TO

ACCEPT 50 REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG FROM THE OPEN CENTRES DURING

THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

4. OUR REQUEST WAS HEARD SYMPATHETICALLY. ALTHOUGH, AS EXPECTED, EACH REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT HIS CAPITAL.

5. HOWEVER ALTHOUGH ALL THOSE PRESENT WERE VERY SYMPATHETIC WE WERE

ASKED, ALMOST APOLOGETICALLY, WHAT SHARE HMG WOULD TAKE. WE EXPLAINED THAT HMG WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HONG KONG'S VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM. WE SAID THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS

IN THE SCORRI REPORT WERE BEING EXAMINED CAREFULLY BY MINISTERS.

WE POINTED OUT THAT IN ADDITION TO THE FAMILY REUNION CASES, SCORRI HAD RECOMMENDED THAT THE UK ACCEPT SOME OF THE HARD-TO-PLACE REFUGEES. WE EXPLAINED THAT ALTHOUGH THEY WERE NOT DEFINED IN THE REPORT, WE ASSUMED THESE TO BE REFUGEES WHO HAD BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME LIMIS WOULD MEAN THOSE IN THE OPEN CENTRES.

CONFIDENTIAL

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