TNAG-1425-FCO40-1908-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-general-1985 — Page 59

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Hong Kong has been kindest in its treatment of the Vietnamese boat people. We have never turned them away, while some other countries have repor tedly kept them off their waters by firing at their boats or towing their boats into the open seas. We have given them temporary asylum, housed and fed them and allowed a number of them to seek employment. I think all this humane treatment might have eased the conscience of the resettlement countries and has directed their attention and compassion toward relieving the Vietnamese refugees elsewhere who have been subjected to a much less humane reception. Consequently, the number of refugees resettled from Hong Kong has fallen behind that of other major places of first asylum. For instance, the offtake rate from Hong Kong in 1985 is only 7% of its refugee population, as compared with 21% for both Malaysia and Indonesia, 8% for Thailand and 9% for the Philippines As a result, we have highest boat refugee population in the region, with 11,267 (33%) out of a regional It is ironic that we are total of 34,152 as at 1 April 1985. being penalized by our humanitarian policy toward the Indo-Chinese boat people.

Apart from adopting a much larger intake, the United Kingdom should act on Hong Kong's behalf in the following ways:-

First, Her Majesty's Government should remind the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of its pledges and promises that the Vietnamese refugees are only taking temporary asylum in Hong Kong and it should ensure that arrangements are being made for their permanent resettlement elsewhere as expeditiously as possible.

Second, Hong Kong's predicament in respect of the Vietnamese refugees should be presented to the UNHCR and the Executive Committee of the UNHCR in Geneva should be asked to call an international conference

for resettlement.