TNAG-1421-FCO40-1904-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1985 — Page 170

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

CONFIDENTIAL

18165

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1

HE SAID THAT FOR 1986 HE THOUGHT (THOUGHT) THAT THE REGIONAL

OFFTAKE TO CANADA MIGHT DECREASE, THE HONG KONG FIGURE WOULD

REMAIN AT ABOUT PRESENT LEVELS. A FINAL DECISION WAS EXPECTED IN

NOVEMBER.

5.

HE SAID THAT SIR GEOFFREY HOWE HAD RAISED HONG KONG'S

REFUGEES WHEN HE WAS IN CANADA SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. JURKOVICH SAID

THAT WHEREAS CANADA WELCOMED THE BRITISH INITIATIVE, IT THOUGHT

THAT THE UK SHOULD TAKE THE LEAD IN THE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT. HE

SAID THAT THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SHOULD PLAY A PART NO MATTER HOW

SMALL.

6.

HE SAID THAT HONG KONG HAD BEEN USED BY CANADA TO MAKE UP

ITS RESETTLEMENT FIGURES TO OFFICIAL TARGETS. THIS WAS WHY WE

GOT THE EXTRA 500 IN 1984 AND 1985.

7.

HE

HE WAS CRITICAL OF THE TYPE OF REFUGEE WE ARE OFFERING

FOR RESETTLEMENT. HE EXPLAINED THAT RECENT REFUGEE ARRIVALS IN

CANADA HAD NOT ADAPTED VERY WELL AND THERE HAD BEEN PROBLEMS.

ASKED WHETHER HONG KONG COULD PROVIDE BASIC SKILL TRAINING. I

EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD BEEN ASKING RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES TO LET

US KNOW WHAT SORT OF SKILLS THEY REQUIRED AND WE WOULD TRY TO

PROVIDE TRAINING. THIS WOULD GIVE THE REFUGEE SOMETHING SPECIFIC

TO DO WHEN IN HONG KONG AND WOULD AID IN HIS INTEGRATION AFTER

RESETTLEMENT. THE SORT OF SKILLS INVOLVED WOULD INCLUDE LANGUAGE

TRAINING MAINLY ENGLISH, BUT WE WOULD CONSIDER OTHER LANGUAGES. I ALSO SAID, DRAWING ON THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE IN MALAYSIA,

THAT IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO RELATE THE SKILL TRAINING TO

RESETTLEMENT. HE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN OUR PROPOSALS AND

SUGGESTED THAT I SPEAK TO BILL SINCLAIR AND DENNIS CREPPAULT WHEN

I GET BACK TO HONG KONG.

8.

I THINK THAT THIS IS VERY ENCOURAGING AND WE SHOULD TRY

TO DEVELOP SOMETHING WITH THE CANADIANS WHICH WE CAN PUT TO THE

AMERICANS AND AUSTRALIANS AND THEN TO THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES.

ENDS

HOWE

LIMITED

HKD

SEAD

UND

NAD

DR WILSON

CONFIDENTIAL

MR RAWSTHORNE, HOME OFFICE,

LUNAR HOUSE, CROYDEN

HKGO LONDON

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