TNAG-1422-FCO40-1905-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-Sub-Committee-on-Race-Relations-and--1986 — Page 167

GRS 750

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 2606

OF 221105Z NOVEMBER 85

ра

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, HKGO BRUSSELS (JONES),

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICEL LONDON,

SCORRI

Po Weller

Reperated to

INFO PRIORITY HKGO NEW YORK (DORWARD), HKGO WASHINGTON (LO), Oslo,

INFO PRIORITY GENEVA (CARTLAND).

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: QUARTERLY UNHCR RESETTLEMENT MEETING.

ottawa

was ingten.

AT OUR INSISTANCE THE QUARTERLY UNHCR RESETTLEMENT MEETING WAS CONVENED ON 20 NOVEMBER. SOME OF THE UNHCR STAFF HAD SUGGESTED THAT

THESE MEETINGS SHOULD BE HELD LESS FREQUENTLY, BUT DEFERED TO OUR

PRESSURE FOR A MEETING.

2. THE MAJOR TOPIC ON THE AGENDA WAS THE REACTION TO THE APPEAL

WHICH WE MADE AT THE PREVIOUS MEETING IN JULY TO PESETTLE 100

REFUGEES EACH MONTH FROM THE TWO OPEN CENTRES SO AS TO ENABLE US

TO CLOSE JUBILEE AND CREATE ONE COMBINED OPEN CENTRE. WE EMPHASISED

THE FACT THAT THE FIRST 20 REFUGEES WERE LEAVING FOR UK THAT DAY, AND THEREAFTER, WOULD LEAVE AT THE RATE OF 40 EACH MONTH. WE POINTED OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE UK FAMILY REUNION CASES CAME FROM THE

OPEN CENTRES.

3. WE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THE DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE LAUNCHED BY BOTH HMG AND HKG AFTER THE DECISION BY HMG TO RELAX ITS FAMILY REUNION CRITERIA, WAS FOCUSSED IN PARTICULAR ON THOSE REFUGEES WHO HAD BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME, IE: THE OPEN CENTRE REFUGEES

WE EXPLAINED, THEREFORE, THAT THIS DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE SHOULD BE VIEWED AS PART OF THE CONTINUING PROCESS TO RESETTLE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG AND, IN PARTICULAR, TO GIVE PRIORITY TO OPEN CENTRE

REFUGEES.

4. IN RESPONSE, THE AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVES POINTED OUT THAT THEY HAD RESPONDED FAVOURABLY BOTH TO THE HONG KONG APPEAL OF JULY AND

HMG'S DECISION OF SEPTEMBER. ACCORDINGLY, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD

AGREED TO TAKE ABOUT 25 REFUGEES EACH MONTH FROM THE OPEN CENTRES,

THEY EXPECTED TO RESETTLE 826 BY THE END OF MAY IE: MORE THAN TWICE

THEIR COMMITTMENT.

5. THE CANADIAN REPRESENTATIVE POINTED OUT THAT HE HAD JUST BEEN

INFORMED BY HIS GOVERMENT THAT THE CANADIAN OFFTAKE FOR HONG

Can.

KONG IN 1986 WOULD BE 650. THIS IS 50 MORE THAN THE CANADIAN OFFTAKE IN 1985 BUT SHOULD BE VIEWED IN ITS REGIONAL CONTEXT. (THE CANADIANS HAVE REDUCED THEIR REGIONAL OFFTAKE BY 500 AND, THEREFORE, HONG KONG APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN SPECIAL CONSIDERATION). WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE CANADIANS, AS THEY HAVE DONE

IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, WILL ALLOCATE AN ADDITIONAL 500 PLACES TO

HON