TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 137

OUT TELEGRAM (CONT)

Classification and Caveats

CONFIDENTIAL

¡Page

PRIORITY

2

<<<<

1

<<<<

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

33 23

24

25

26

27

288

Little prospect of the initiative actually leading to a

successful policy of repatriation to Vietnam, given Vietnamese intransigencs. He concluded that the likely gains were not

commensurate with the risks.

3. The Secretary of State accepts that our inability to take further action to prevent refugees arriving makes action to increase offtake doubly important. He agrees that if we are to

have any hope of persuading other countries to accept increased

numbers from the camps in Hong Kong, we shall ourselves need to

accept a larger number in the UK. He now intends to approach the

Home Secretary in an effort to persuade him that we should offer

to not only take the 400-500 family reunion cases, recommended in

the SCORRI report, but also make a commitment to accept a greater number of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong on a regular and continuing basis.fag 500ced. The aim of this commitment

would be to provide a basis upon which we should mount a major

campaign to persuade other countries also to do more to help.

4. In this connection Ministers are inclined to accept that SCORRI's recommendations on abolishing the closed camps must be

resisted. We shall telegraph further on the line which we

envisage might be used in response to SCORRI.

5.

Finally, the Secretary of State agrees that we should

explore with UNHCR possible means of improving training facilities in the closed centres in an effort to make refugees

more resettlable.

shall also

We shall

also relegraph further

on this.

6. We shall keep you informed of progress in our negotiations

with the Home Office.

29

30

HOWE

31

NNNN

//

32

33

34

NNNN ends

telegram

Catchword

BLANK

I.P. Ltd Dmd 8200051 56-00 8/80

48 A