GR 300
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAC
FM HONG KONG 020345Z APR 85
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 643 OF 2 APRIL
TOP COPY
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, HK GOVT REPS BRUSSELS, UKMIS GENEVA, CG NEW YORK, WASHINGTON
1. MR LUCE'S MEETING WITH MR SMYSER, DEPUTY UNHCR GENEVA 11 MARCH.
WE AGREE WITH SMYSER REGARDING THE PROBLEMS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
RESETTLED IN UK, USA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA.
2. WE FEEL THAT THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY HMG REGARDING THE
SETTLING IN OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ARE NOT (NOT) TYPICAL. WE
HAVE NO (NO) EVIDENCE THAT, AS A GROUP, THEY ARE LESS EMPLOYABLE THAN OTHERS. IN HONG KONG, THE MAJORITY IN OPEN CENTRES ARE
WORKING. THE AUSTRALIANS REPORT THAT THEY FIND THAT THE VIETNAMESE
REFUGEES WORK HARD, INITIALLY AT MENIAL TASKS, BUT THEN PROGRESS
TO MORE IMPORTANT POSITIONS.
3. THERE IS A FEELING HERE, THAT THOSE IN UK WERE NOT SELECTED WITH THE SAME DISCRIMINATION ADOPTED NOW BY THE AMERICANS, CANADIANS AND AUSTRALIANS ON A REGULAR BASIS AND BY, SAY, THE JAPANESE WHEN THEY SEND A MISSION TO HONG KONG. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE 11,000 REFUGEES WHO CAME
FROM HONG KONG TO UK IN 1979 WERE VERY LIBERAL. ALL WHO WANTED
TO GO WERE ACCEPTED WHETHER THERE WERE FAMILY LINKS OR NOT.
4. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS NO (NO) REASON TO BELIEVE THAT OTHER REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG WOULD CAUSE THE SAME PROBLEMS. A RECENT REPORT IN REFUGEES (NUMBER 15, MARCH 1985, PAGE 33) POINTED OUT
THAT 36 VIETNAMESE FAMILIES IN CRAIGAVON, NORTHERN IRELAND HAD
OVERCOME THE TROUBLES THERE AND WERE IN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, SOME
WITH CONSPICUOUS SUCCESS. PERHAPS THIS IS THE BASIS FOR ONE
SOLUTION TO TWO INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS?
YOUDE
LIMITED
HKD
SEAD
UND
FED
HICK
24315
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
-2 APR 1985
QEYVLDS BICKA
PS/MR LUCE
Ps (Pus
SIR WHARDING
MR WILSON
CONFIDENTIAL
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