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(ii)
outside our immigration criteria for family reunion cases.
Most of these refugees are in camps in Hong Kong though there
are a few in camps in other South East Asian countries.
HMG will press other countries as actively as possible, both
bilaterally and multilaterally in order to maximise the impact
of this decision.
(iii) in addition to the family reunion cases, HMG are prepared to
consider accepting further limited numbers of 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.
(iv)
(v)
4.
the Hong Kong Government would also be prepared to consider absorbing into Hong Kong a limited number of Vietnamese refugees from the camps there, provided this formed part of a
concerted international effort to reduce drastically the size
of Hong Kong's Vietnamese refugee population.
present circumtances do not make it possible to accept SCORRI's recommendation that Hong Kong's closed camp policy be
ended. In HMG's view, abolition of the policy would cause a
sharp rise in the number of arrivals in Hong Kong, and consequently an unacceptable and unmanageable rise in the camp
population in Hong Kong.
UK diplomatic posts will be instructed to approach their host Governments immediately after the White Paper is published, to ask
them to take additional numbers of refugees from Hong Kong. We also wish to take advantage of any opportunities that arise in the coming week s to raise the subject at bilateral and multilateral meetings.
The UNHCR Executive Committee meeting will be particularly important
in this respect.
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