TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 149

BRITAIN'S FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA WOULD BE RELAXED IN RESPECT OF

VIETNAMESE IN CAMPS IN COUNTRIES OF TEMPORARY ASYLUM. IT WAS ESTIMATED IN THE REPORT THAT ABOUT 420 FROM HONG KONG MIGHT

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. THE ACTUAL NUMBERS ELIGIBLE

COULD BE AS MANY AS 500.

CLOSED CAMPS IN HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE ABOLISHED:

MORE WILL BE DONE TO PREPARE THE INHABITANTS OF HONG KONG'S REFUGEE

CAMPS FOR LIFE AFTER THEY ARE RESETTLED, ESPECIALLY THROUGH TRAINING AND UPGRADING OF SKILLS, BUT HE POINTED OUT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UNHCR AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES HERE, IS ALREADY DOING MUCH TO IMPROVE EDUCATION AND

TRAINING IN THE CAMPS:

A CONSIDERABLE DEGREE OF MINISTERIAL DISCRETION WILL BE RETAINED IN

THE GRANTING OF FAMILY REUNION APPLICATIONS:

BRITAIN'S WILLINGNESS TO RELAX ITS FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA WILL

BE USED TO NEGOTIATE ADDITIONAL RESETTLEMENT PLACES FROM OTHER

COUNTRIES WITH A VIEW TO REDUCING DRASTICALLY THE SIZE OF HONG KONG'S

VIETNAMESE REFUGEE POPULATION AND TO RESETTLE ALL THOSE WHOSE STAY

IN CAMPS HAS BEEN PROLONGED:

BRITAIN IS PREPARED TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING, IN ADDITION TO THE FAMILY REUNION CASES, FURTHER LIMITED NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG 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 HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER ACCEPTING FOR RESETTLEMENT IN HONG KONG A LIMITED NUMBER OF ETHNIC CHINESE AS PART OF THE PACKAGE NEGOTIATED ALING THE LINES SET OUT ABOVE: AND

THE FCO WILL MAKE RESOLUTION OF HONG KONG'S VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM A MAJOR PRIORITY IN ITS DEALINGS WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.

6. THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER, A MAJOR DIPLOMATIC EFFORT WILL BE MOUNTED BY THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S TO PERSUADE OTHER COUNTRIES TO OFFER ADDITIONAL RESETTLEMENT PLACES TO VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM

HONG KONG. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY

SUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARISE IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO PRESS HONG

KONG'S CASE WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS. BILATERAL OF MULT-LATERAL MEET-

INGS IN THE NEAR FUTURE (SUCH AS THE UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THE COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETINGS) TO PRESS HONG KONG'S

CASE.

-2 CONFIDENTIAL

17.