TNAG-1423-FCO40-1906-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 21

5. PARA 6: WE DO NOT HAVE HISTORICAL FIGURES ON THE AVERAGE LENGTH

OF STAY IN HONG KONG. WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING: INITIALLY THE RATE

OF RESETTLEMENT IN WESTERN COUNTRIES, IN RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS WAS

HIGH: IN 1979 THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RESETTLEMENT FROM HONG KONG

WAS 2,000. IN 1980 THIS HAD RISEN TO 3,000 PER MONTH, BUT, IN 1991, IT DROPPED TO 1,500 AND WHEN, IN 1932, IT FELL TO 770 PER MONTH,

HONG KONG'S REFUGEE POPULATION ROSE ACCORDINGLY.

6. PARA 6: WE DO NOT LIKE THE PHRASE QUOTE DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY

UNQUOTE. ALTHOUGH IT IS TECHNICALLY CORRECT, IT OVERSTATES THE CASE AND IS EMOTIVE. REFUGEES PLACED IN CLOSED CENTRES ARE PERMITTED TO

MOVE FREELY WITHIN THE CENTRES BUT THEY ARE NOT (NOT) PERMITTED

TO LEAVE THEM NOR TO SEEK OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT.

7. PARA 7: THE CLOSE CENTRE POLICY WAS NEVER INTENDED TO STOP

ARRIVALS, MERELY TO REDUCE THEM. THE POLICY WAS, THEREFORE, SUCCESSFUL. REGIONAL REDUCTION IN 1934 WAS 11 PERCENT, RATHER THAN

17 PERCENT.

8. PARA 7A; THE SYMPTOMS AND THE ILLNESS SEEM TO HAVE BECOME

CONFUSED HERE. THE 3-DAY HUNGER STRIKE WAS BECAUSE OF POOR

RESETTLEMENT PROSPECTS AND THE REFUGEES WERE AT PAINS TO MAKE THIS

CLEAR. THE REFUGEES ACCEPT THE CLOSED CENTRES WITH REASONABLE

EQUANIMITY, BECAUSE THEY SEE THEM AS A STEPPING STONE TOWARDS

RESETTLEMENT, IT IS ONLY WHEN RESETTLEMENT CHANCES DECREASED THAT

TROUBLE OCCURRED. THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULE BE RE-WRITTEN ALONG

THESE LINES.

9. PARA 7B. WE SUGGEST THAT THIS PARAGRAPH BE RE-TITLED, PUBLIC

OPINION. WE ALSO SUGGEST THAT IT WOULD BE FAIRER TO ADD THAT THE

DECISION TO INTRODUCE CLOSED CENTRES WAS SUPPORTED, IN SOME CASES

ACTIVELY, BY THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES, INCLUDING UK.

10. WE SUGGEST THAT. AN ADDITIONAL PARAGRAPH BE ADDED BETWEEN PARA

73 AND PARA 7C TO REFLECT PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG. THERE IS

STRONG PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE CLOSED CENTRE POLICY IN HONG KONG. IN FACT, THERE ARE MANY IN HONG KONG WHO FEEL THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S TREATMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IS TOO GENEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHEN COMPARED WITH THE TREATMENT METED OUT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA, WITH WHOM THEY HAVE MUCH CLOSER FAMILY, CULTURAL AND ETHNIC TIES. FACED WITH INCREASING FINANCIAL CONSTRAINT, WHICH IS MANIFESTED IN REDUCED PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, THE HONG KONG PUBLIC IS CRITICAL OF RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO VIETNAMES REFUGEES AT THEIR EXPENSE. THE UK'S COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG UNTIL 1997 IS ENDANGERED BY IT APPEARING TO WASH ITS HANDS OF THE REFUGEE

PROBLEM.

11. PARA 8: IT IS INCORRECT TO SAY THAT THE CLOSED CENTRE POLICY

IS THE ONLY MEASURE THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN. IT IS

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT, BUT WE HAVE ATTEMPTED. TO PERSUADE VIETNAM

TO ACCEPT VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION: WE HAVE ASKED UNHCR TO SEEK THE

VIEWS OF VIETNAM ON INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION: WE HAVE ASKED HMG

TO APPROACH THE VIETNAMESE ON INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION.

2 CONFIDENTIAL

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