TNAG-1423-FCO40-1906-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 86

CONFIDENTIAL

pa 243/5

Reference..

incorporated

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Mr Peirce

Hong Kong Department

Comment in to draft

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HONG KONG

1

ww

637

41

Thank you for copying to us your draft paper on the Vietnamese refugee problem. Our suggestions for amendments are set out below. As I told you on the telephone I have not been able to clear these with my Head of Department and they are, therefore, subject to any comments he may have on his return tomorrow.

2 Para 2

Rephrase first two sentences as follows: "About 1.5 million people have left Indo-China since 1975, oyer a million of these Vietnamese. Some 130,000, mainly Vietnamese, left for the United States in 1975. Around 260,000 Vietnamese entered China in 1978. Over half a million Vietnamese boat refugees have arrived in first asylum countries including Hong Kong (we can only speculate as to how many have perished en route). Since 1979 over 72,000 Vietnamese have left Vietnam under the Orderly Departure Programme (ODP) administered by the UNHCR with Vietnamese Government cooperation. Currently over 160,000 Indo- Chinese (some 40,000 Vietnamese) await resettlement."

The next sentence would then begin: "104,000 Vietnamese

3 I suggest new background paragraphs 3 and 4 which would take in the present paragraph 3 entitled "1979 Geneva Conference". Here is our suggested redraft: The UK has accepted around 19,000 Vietnamese In January 1979, HMG agreed to admit - further 1,500 refugees from Indo-China, in addition to the 300 or so already here. It was decided that, because of our responsibilities for the territory 1,000 of these should come from Hong Kong. In July 1979, at UK initiative, a conference was held in Geneva to deal with the worsening refugee crisis. At that conference, the UK agreed to take a further quota of 10,000 Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong. It was at this conference that the consensus emerged to confer group refugee status on those leaving Indo-China by boat. The UK has so far aceted a total of 19000 Vitranse.

"We have a continuing international commitment to resettle family reunion and ship rescue cases. The UK is working with UNHCR and other resettlement countries to find durable solutions to the Indo-Chinese refugee problem."

4 Para 6(b)

Second sentence. The British Refugee Council also receives rear as much funds from the ODA.

But cowhere

as from the H.O.

Fourth sentence:

5 Para 6(c)

X

After "BRC" insert:

11

while remaining critical,".

PL

разме

CODE 18-77

The section dealing with legal aspects should include a statement of Hong Kong's status vis a vis the international conventions on refugees.

not applicable to probler of closed cutes?

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CONFIDENTIAL