Da Walker
BRITISH EMBASSY
THE HAGUE
16 December 1985
(483)
་།
CE Leeks Esq
Hong Kong Department
FCO
Dear Lecks,
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DUTCH REFUGEE QUOTA: RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG
1. Please refer to your letter of 28 November.
Z
425
av 19/12
2. A majority in the Second Chamber voted last week in favour of Mrs Korte's proposal that the number of refugees invited to settle in the Netherlands each year should be doubled to 500. Armed with this parliamentary support, Mrs Korte will now try to persuade the Cabinet to give its approval. We are told that the likelihood is that the Cabinet will agree to an increase, but not one of 100%. The eventual figure is more likely to be 350 to 400. In its consideration of the question, the Cabinet will be conscious of a critical report from the Dutch Refugee Organisation, Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland, which recently found that the Netherlands currently compared infavourably with France, West Germany, the UK and Denmark in its acceptance rate of refugees.
3. A word of explanation may be useful about these annual figures. The current figure of 250 represents the number which the Netherlands guarantees to take each year and for which budgetary provision is made in advance. The Dutch in practice take more than 250, but for each addition, a special case has to be made to Cabinet. What is at issue, therefore, is the number of guaranteed places the Dutch Government is prepared to offer.
4. The Dutch attach no quota system to these guaranteed places and they will therefore be prepared to consider UNCHR's recommendations as to how any increase in the numbers they accept should be filled. The only places which are pre-empted are those taken by Vietnamese or Cambodian boat people picked up at sea by Dutch vessels. The country of registration of a vessel picking up boat people is currently obliged to offer them sanctuary.
MKK 24362
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Your
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Michael Hall.
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
M M Hall
20 DEC 1935
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
сс
Miss D J Walker, UKMIS Geneva
TE Jones Esq. WED, FCO
K J Woodhouse Esq, Security Branch, Government Secretariat, Hong Kong NJ French Esq, HKGO, Brussels
S Nash Esq, SEAD, FCO
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