CONFIDENTIAL
For all these reasons
a strong probabililty that inaction
a very much worse situation than that
the re i s
will lead sooner or later to
obtaining now.
VI OPTIONS
14. Following is an examination of options by which we might try to (A) reduce the rate of arrival, (B) increase the rate of departure.
Some of these options are more theoretical than real and are
included for the sake of completeness. Some have been rejected by Ministers in the past.
A. Options designed to reduce the rate of arrival
15. (a) Tow newly arriving boats out to sea
The
Macau,
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei have all done this
(though there have been few reports of such action recently). Hong Kong Government have contingency plans for towing vessels with
illegal immigrants or refugees outside the limits of Hong Kong's waters in an emergency, but have never adopted such a policy in
respect of Vietnamese refugees. The only argument for such a course
is that it would undoubtedly
ac t as an effective deterrent to
refugees making for Hong Kong. The arguments against are that it would involve inflicting unacceptable risks on the occupants of the boats and would be indefensible in terms of common humanity, and our
obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. Ministers decided against adopting such a course in March
1984.
CONFIDENTIAL
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