TNAG-1423-FCO40-1906-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 20

GRS 2200

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 0409OOZ

FM HONG KONG 0405152 MAR 85

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 444 OF 4 MARCH

HKck 243/5

LIVED IN RE-

- 4 MAR WE*

IF FILE

TOP COPY Las

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, UKMIS GENEVA 1. AND HANO1.

(44) 19 50

YOUR TELNOS 278, 279 AND 331: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES:

POLICY PAPER.

WE APPRECIATE THAT THE PAPER IS INTENDED TO BE A DISPASSIONATE

AND FACTUAL ANALYSIS, HOWEVER, WE FEEL THAT IT DOES NOT:

(A) POINT OUT THAT THERE IS POTENTIAL TROUBLE BREWING IN THE CLOSED

CENTRES AS THEIR LENGTH OF STAY CONVINCES SOME OF THEIR INMATES THAT

THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE RESETTLED:

(B) EXPLAIN THAT WHEREAS THE HONG KONG PUBLIC SUPPORTS THE PRESENT

HKG CLOSED CENTRE POLICY, THERE IS INCREASING CONCERN THAT HONG KONG WILL BE LEFT WITH THESE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AS THE RESETTLEMENT

COUNTRIES ABDICATE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM:

(C) WARN OF THE DANGER OF THE UK COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG UNTIL

1997 BEING SERIOUSLY CALLED INTO QUESTION BY ITS CONTINUED REFUSAL

TO TAKE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG (OTHER THAN SHIP RESCUE AND FAMILY

REUNION CASES):

(D) POINT OUT THAT INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF ILLEGAL TRAVELLERS

IS HKG POLICY ON THE ADVICE OF EXCO: AND

(E) ACCURATELY REFLECT THE RECENT HISTORY OF RESETTLEMENT, IN

PARTICULAR THE REDUCING QUOTAS AND THE ABSENCE OF A UK QUOTA,

2. WE HAVE OTHER POINTS OF DETAIL OR EMPHASIS. THESE, TOGETHER

WITH THE POINTS MENTIONED IN PARA 1 ABOVE, ARE INCORPORATED IN THE

COMMENTS WHICH FOLLOW, FOR CONVENIENCE, THE PARAGRAPH NUMBERING IN

YOUR TELNO 279 OF 15 FEBRUARY IS USED.

3. PARA 2: THERE ARE 36,000 RATHER THAN 40,000 VIETNAMESE AMONG THE 160,000 AWAITING RESETTLEMENT. HONG KONG HAS ACCEPTED 14,!

,500 RATHER THAN 14,000, DISPLACED INDO-CHINESE, MOSTLY FROM VIETNAM, FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT, WHICH MUST REPRESENT THE LARGEST PER CAPITA RESETTLEMENT ANYWHERE. THERE ARE 8,800 REFUGEES,

RATHER THAN 8,000, IN MALAYSIA.

4. PARA 3: THE UK HAS, SO FAR, ACCEPTED AROUND 19,000 VIETNAMESE,

ALTHOUGH IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS IT HAS ACCEPTED LESS THAN 2,500

FROM HONG KONG (1,775 IN 1981, 241 IN 1982, 101 IN 1933 AND 26 IN

1934).

CONFIDENTIAL

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