TNAG-1420-FCO40-1903-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 9

see

256

GRS 650

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

Mick 243/2

REFOP COP

16 OCT 1985

DESK OFFICER

295

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE GENEVA

TELNO 16

INDEX

OF 160807Z OCTOBER 85

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, FCO, CANBERRA, INFO PRIORITY HKGO BRUSSELS, HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA.

FOR WOODHOUSE FROM JEAFFRESON.

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG: DISCUSSIONS WITH AUSTRALIANS.

WE MET, ON 10 OCTOBER, MR. HURFORT, THE AUSTRALIAN MINISTER

FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS, WHO WAS VISITING HONG KONG

DURING 10 11 OCTOBER AND DISCUSSED WITH HIM OUR VIETNAMESE

REFUGEE PROBLEM. WE THANKED THE AUSTRALIANS FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN

ACCEPTING REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG ON REGULAR BASIS AND EXPLAINED THAT

HONG KONG STILL HAD TO FACE A DIFFICULT SITUATION WITH THE HIGHEST

POPULATION OF BOAT REFUGEE AS WELL AS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF

LONG-STAYERS IN THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN REGION. WE ALSO EXPLAINED

OUR JOINT CAMPAIGN WITH HMG AND UNHCR TO STIMULATE INTERNATIONAL

EFFORT TO HELP HONG KONG REDUCE ITS REFUGEE POPULATION BY

RESETTLING MORE FROM OUR CENTRES. WE SAID WE PARTICULARLY WOULD

LIKE THE AUSTRALIANS TO BROADEN THEIR CRITERIA SO THAT THEY COULD

TAKE SOME OF OUR REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE SOME YEARS.

2. MR HURFORT REPLIED THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAD ALWAYS BEEN

SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG

AND IN THE REGION AS A WHOLE AND HAD A GOOD RECORD FOR

RESETTLING REFUGEES FROM THE REGION. FOR HUMANITARIAN AND COMPASSIONATE REASONS, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD BE POSITIVE IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT INITIATIVE BY HMG AND THE APPEAL FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE RECENT

REDUCTION IN OFFTAKE FROM HONG KONG FROM 50 TO 40 A MONTH WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLE CANDIDATES

UNDER THE PRIORITY 1 (FAMILY REUNION) AND PRIORITY 2 (CLOSE TIES WITH AUSTRALIA) CATEGORIES WHICH COMPRISED THE BULK OF THE CASES

RESETTLED TO AUSTRALIA FROM HONG KONG.

3. HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE REDUCTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN

CEILING OF REFUGEE INTAKE FROM 8,000 TO 6,000 THIS YEAR (1985

1986) DID NOT MEAN THAT THERE WAS NO WAY OF INCREASING THE OFFTAKE.

FROM HONG KONG. THERE WAS CERTAIN FLEXIBILITY FOR REALLOCATING

RESETTLEMENT PLACES FOR COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM WITHIN THIS

CEILING FIGURE. IN HIS VIEW, THERE WAS A HIGH POSSIBILITY THAT

HONG KONG'S APPEAL FOR ADDITIONAL RESETTLEMENT PLACES WOULD BE

CONSIDERED FAVOURABLY. IN THIS CONNECTION, MR. HURFORT SEEMED TO BE

INTERESTED IN UTILIZING THEIR PRIORITY 3 CATEGORY FOR ACCEPTING

ADDITIONAL REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. PRIORITY 3 CATEGORY COVERS

CONFIDENTIAL

PERSON.

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