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Mr Galsworthy
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Lecyter Thank you
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13 MAY 1985
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Action 1ken
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: SECRETARY OF STATE'S MELTING.
9.30 AM
1.
Points we might make are:
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10 MAY
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(a) concerning Private Secretary's queestion (i) in his minute of 26 April, I honestly do not think this is a problem. The BNA is a reality, and Hong Kong people do not entertain realistic hopes of altering it. However, they dislike the Vietnamese, and want them out of Hong Kong: if not back to Vietnam, then they would settle UK as an alternative.
on
(b) this raises the next point, which is my growing concern refugees are (rather late) becoming a political issue between HMG and Hong Kong. This is dangerous because only part of the remedy lies in Our hands. But the strength of feeling, and frequent bitterness, expressed by LEGCO and the Hong Kong press after the SCORRI report was directed wholly at HMG, and was the strongest language I have seen used on this issue since May 1982, after the Kai Tak Camp riots (when the UK quota was
the UK quota was still open, incidentally).
(c) there is not doubt that H,O, agreement to take just 500 will not do. Those 500 have been knocked around for so long that other countries, UNHCR, BRXC, expect us to take them. We will need a continuing offtake to move other countries to do more-for example: Canada took from Hong Kong a quota of 600 last year, and will take 500 this year, in addition to
to their regular off take of about 200-300. We can hardly hope to move Ottawa or others with less
ourselves.
(d) UNHCR is a broken reed. They will not push Hong Kong's case unless we give them reason to do so. They see no merit in pushing the case of
a British Colony when UK itself does little and when there are the cases of more important SE Asian states to push. They assume Hong Kong will eventually absorb the lot: and that the flow will cease as 1997 draws near. (UNHCR have said much a
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(e) Hong Kong could absorb the 2-3000 ethnic Chinese in the open camps This would halve the open camp population, including all those stuck for five years-plus; preserve the closed camp deterrent; and enable Hong Kong to hold the line that they cannot absorb ethnic Vietnamese. But they will only be persuaded to do this if HMG itself does more; eg if HMG takes 2500 over 5 years, Hong Kong will
do the same?
(f) In an approach to Hanoi (a fading dream) the recent statement by Le Duc Tho to a western news agency that Vietnam would take back
Tels
Alt".
CODE 18-77
CONFIDENTIAL
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